Under the Winged Sky
by Crimsonfang33
Summary: Reborn came to Namimori expecting to train a civilian child into a Mafia Boss... He got that. Reborn, however, did not sign up (nor get paid) to deal with all that came with said child.
1. Chapter 1

This is the first chapter of the story: Under the Winged Sky. It will follow the basic plot line but at some points will deviate from it. All rights go to the Author of Katekyo Hitman Reborn!, Amano Akira apart from my own OCs, original chapters and AU.

Iemitsu!Bashing, Ninth Generation!Bashing, Timoteo!Bashing

With warnings and disclaimers out of the way, Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter One

\- Namimori -

Namimori -to most normal people- is considered your run-of-the-mill town. Well, to those who are only visiting and have not lived in said town at any point in their life for any length of time. To those who have and are living in Namimori, it is something entirely different. Anything could happen in that town and nobody would bat an eyelash at it and this was mainly because of several reasons.

Reason one: Kyoya Hibari, or rather the whole Hibari family. It was an undisputed fact that the Hibari _run_ the town. And while they were great protectors (regardless of the fact that most people didn't know what they were guarded from) they brought their own special brand of violence to such a degree and all the residents in the town considered said violence background noise as well as anything even remotely unusual.

Reason Two: For some strange reason a lot of dangerous, strange bordering on insane, people (if you'd could call them that) liked to spend their retirement in the little supposed-to-be average town.

Reason Three: The Sawadas, or rather Nana and Tsunahime. This reason wasn't really known about by the general populace as their oblivious nature (a defence mechanism) stopped them from noticing the signs of respect that the previously mentioned dangerous people gave them. Of course it wasn't like they were shouting their loyalty for everyone to hear like a certain puppy would be doing later in the story but given the attitude of the 'strong only follow the strong' that both groups follow and the Hibaris' quiet and stoic nature they might have well have been to anyone who knew them personally.

* * *

Reborn knew something was wrong before he knocked on that too-normal door that led into the Sawada's household.

He was sent a file on the so called 'tuna-fish' that was Iemitsu's spawn. He tried not to shudder at the heiress-to-be being as stupid as the man-child was but thankfully the file stated otherwise. Unfortunately, said file all but stated the child was a coward. Did they think that because he was able to make Dino into a somewhat suitable boss, that he'd want to do it again?

He didn't encase anyone was wondering.

Oh, it was fun torturing them and awarding watching them grow (though he'd only admit the first reason) but it was a 24/7 job. Despite what he'd have people think, he was human and he liked to have a day off once in awhile. Alas, being able to call upon Vongola's supplies and connections while still being a freelance didn't come without conditions and accepting this job was one of them. Anyway, he went a day ahead as he was supposed to in order to observe his no doubt reluctant student given her civilian background.

Saying he was surprised of Tsunahime's actions would be like saying the sea was a little wet. What were those idiots in CEDEF doing?! Where there was supposed to be a skittish, timid girl was a quietly confident one instead. Most of the students in her school treated her with respect though it didn't seem like she did anything particular to get said respect. Quietly sneaking in and asking an innocent question here and there got him the answer of "Under Hibari's protection." He didn't know if that was merely the respect of the Hibari who attended the school and seemed to have taken over said school or the entire family. He hoped not the attire family because _Dio_ that would be terrifying.

She did at least seem to be on friendly terms with the so called 'Demon of Namimori' as she took up an extra lunch box wrapped in purple and gave it to the teenager before sitting down to eat near him. He couldn't say 'with' because no words were exchanged nor he did even glance in the young sky's direction afterwards. Though it was a comfortable silence. Reborn was just happy he didn't need to put too much effort to get her a cloud guardian because clouds were always difficult.

Well, clouds that weren't Skull, that is.

Still, Tsunahime's personality didn't seem bad in the way that it would be worrying when she took over as heir and she did seem to have a backbone, he could work with that. This didn't in any way resolve that fact that he was for all intents and purposes he was going into this mission blind and they were few things he hated more than not knowing something.

And so when he knocked on the door he was in equal parts annoyed and curious. When the door opened, he aimed a kick for where he guessed Tsunahime's head would be (he'd sensed those pure, _strong_ sky flames approaching) and leaped. He wasn't all that surprised that she dodged, she was friends (would that be the right word?) with Kyoya Hibari after all, but the way she'd done it did surprise him regardless of the fact that he didn't let it show on his face. One clear fluid movement that all but shouts of practised experience as she ducked, legs shifting into a stance for easy movement as she eyed him. Limbs loose but tensed. Reborn saw surprise flicker in her eyes before it was set behind a almost serene mask (and was that excitement in her eyes?) though there was no smile, that had Reborn reluctantly impressed being that she was quite young to control her emotions so well even if he could see room for improvement.

There was always room for improvement.

Tsunahime was assessing him, not convinced by his small stature as her eyes took him in. Reborn, in turn, couldn't help but do the same out of the silent respect she'd given him, obviously she took her safety (or perhaps her mother's safety given the leaned in the woman's direction) seriously. Long brown hair fell to her waist in slightly wavy curves, a fringe that covered her forehead. A slightly tanned skin tone with high cheekbones and deep brown eyes flecked with orange, almost gold, if you looked close enough, colour. They were slightly narrowed and held a depth that Reborn couldn't put into words. She was currently wearing the Namimori middle uniform. Toned muscles could be seen by how her clothes fell around her body. Eyes gleaming with intelligence, no doubt going through scenarios as to how a fight with him would end. Given the way her body had yet moved from defensive to offensive, she had correctly guessed that he was a lot more powerful than he seemed. Perhaps the infamous Vongola Hyper Intuition. He saw her eyes flicker from brown to glowing orange a couple of times.

If so, that'd be annoying. Hiding things from people who could literally glance at you and comment on something you were thinking or detect a lie that was only implied was pretty much impossible (Reborn ignored the fact that he could also do that same thing to some extent). Hopefully the ability didn't run strong in her or he'd be Chaos Deprived. And yes, that deserved the capital letters.

Tsunahime shifted, not letting down her guard, he observed approvingly, but understanding that he wasn't going to cause any permanent lasting damage at the moment. She tilted her head and asked with a voice was both gentle, commanding and with something else that surprising calmed him "Who are you?"

With a smirk and tip of hat, Reborn answered.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Tsuna looked at the infant-like adult (because there was no way a human _child_ could emit so much strength and raw power) in slight interest but mostly wariness. To be fair this man greeted her with a kick in front of her home with her mother a few feet away in the kitchen, Tsuna felt she was justified for her less than welcoming attitude. If her mother wasn't the way, Tsuna would be less wary and feel something akin to impressed respect, she could tell more looking at him that the power he held, he fought for tooth and nail.

He didn't seem to make another move though and seemed pleasantly surprised when she dodged his half-hearted attack. Did he come her with some knowledge on her then? Information that was wrong, it seemed so it wasn't anything she needed to worry about apart from the fact that someone had be keeping tabs on her. Strange, she hadn't sensed anyone apart from a hidden presence yesterday. Said presence was here in front of her though.

He looked foreign, eyes more western than eastern and skin slightly tanned. A black suit and tie, crisp and smart covered his small form with a fedora matching his suit. A orange ribbon decorated it, adding colour along with the red shirt underneath the suit. Strangely enough there was a green chameleon on the brim of his hat, its tongue flicking out in greeting. It felt connected to his Soul-Flames, so it was most likely a familiar. They were also a yellow pacifier around his neck that felt like it was _sucking_ on his soul-flames. Tsuna resolved herself to not look to closely at the thing as it both made her want to curl up in disgust and rip the thing from the infant-man's neck. Curly, gravity defying sideburns caught her attention and Tsuna was slightly confused of how they stayed like that before deciding she'd had seen stranger things.

Tsuna relaxed her stance slightly, finished with her assessment, as she tilted her head and asked "Who are you?"

The infant-adult smirked (a dangerous smirk, tinted with arrogance but had the skills to back it up), tipped his fedora in what she assumed was his country's of bow or greeting before replying "Chaos, I am Reborn, the new live-in tutor." And while that seemed to be the truth, Tsuna could sense that it wasn't the whole truth.

Tsuna again wondered why she needed a tutor before once again reminding herself. Her so-called 'father' let her mother know that a friend of his was coming over and asked her to house him. And her dear mother would do anything if it meant that she be given the chance to see her husband again. Tsuna sighed to herself mentally and noted she had at least an hour before she needed to go to school so she could hopeful get the full story of this Reborn. Tsuna also had to wonder about the obvious fake name, while feeling slightly amused of his name choice because of her nature. That was his business however, if he wanted such a name.

"While I don't doubt that is the truth, that isn't the full truth…" Tsuna let her statement hang in the air. Reborn's facial expression stayed in the cool, almost arrogant, indifference that she'd seen on him since she'd met him though his soul-flame curled into something similar to slight annoyance and impressed before settling once more. "I have a feeling you won't tell me anything in the open like this, however. Would you like to come up to my room, Reborn-san?" She also had a feeling that she shouldn't act ignorant and give him the respect a powerful adult would expect from a minor.

A pleased smile (more of a smirk, really) gave her the impression he appreciated it before he nodded. As she led him in, she watched out of the corner of her eye as he took note of the house and any personal object laying around. He seemed to be trying to get as much of an educated guess of her personality or at least the nature to the household he'd be living in til the unforeseeable future. She continued upstairs after she called out to her mother that the home tutor had arrived and she was getting him settled in before going to school.

Once she settled into her room in front of the small coffee table with Reborn opposite her that she had set up instead of having a desk for homework. The infant-man completely skipped past the small talk and cut right to the matter of things. It was something Tsunahime could appreciate, "The truth is I am the world's greatest hitman sent to train you into the new head of Vongola famiglia."

Vongola, the word echoed in her head. The family that caused her no end of headaches. The family that caused her to be even more on guard than would be necessary and she was expected to _lead_ said family. She didn't even care if this man was a hitman, she'd seen many of them other the years and she could tell that he was a cut above the others though she didn't know about the 'world greatest' comment. Reborn certainly seemed to believe it at any rate. "Why? I don't believe I've done anything to become an heir." Tsuna had been quite diligent about staying under the radar, after all.

Reborn seemed to expect a bigger reaction, given the raised eyebrow, than her normal calm when confronted with this sort of thing. To be honest, normal teenagers reactions would probably have a different reaction but she was far from normal and so was Namimori for that matter. He obviously hadn't been in town for very long. "It's your blood that makes you eligible. You're connected to the first boss, Primo, a direct descendant." Reborn pulled out a family tree and laid it flat against the wooden surface of the table.

Tsuna's eyes quickly scanned it (and where had she heard the name Primo before?). Apparently the current boss was from a branch family, related to Primo's cousin rather than Primo himself however something more important caught her attention "That's my so-called father's name. Why isn't he the heir instead of me? He's already involved with that sort of work after all. And what about the current head's children?"

Surprise flickered across Reborn's face and Tsuna despite herself felt quite happy with herself for being the one to induce it after dealing with his indifferent mask. "You know what your father does for a living?" he asked, intrigued.

"After I found an assassin trying to kill my mother, I felt I needed to investigate what we've done to get such attention." Tsuna's voice, despite the calm surface, held an anger simmering beneath the surface, barely restrained. Just thinking about the event caused hot fury coursing through her vines. "Imagine my surprise when the man supposed to protect this family was the reason why it was being threatened and he didn't even know about it. I don't know what's worse the fact that he lied to us for years or his ignorance." Venom dripped from her voice, the calm replaced by deadly threat that made Reborn instinctively reaching for his gun before Tsuna took a deep calming breath. The suffocating anger dying until it was gone completely. She smiled apologetically to her new tutor "My apologies, the safety of my family, however small, is quite important to me."

Reborn nodded, relaxing if only slightly, still surprised about the amount of danger he sensed from a mere middle schooler. "The assassin?" he asked.

"Dead." was the clipped reply. "Like I said the safety of my family is very important to me." So were the others that dared follow, eventually the assassins got the hint and figured someone very strong was protecting the family. Not wrong but they thought it had something to do with Vongola. She didn't like killing, never would, it made her feel sick but for her family she would do anything to keep them from harm's way, even covering her hands in blood. "You didn't answer my question, however." she probed wanting to change the subject.

Reborn seemed to sense that because he didn't question that line of discussion further through he did shot her a look that she vaguely guessed meant he'd bring it up later "Iemitsu" he started, guessing correctly that she didn't like to be reminded of her relationship towards the man "is the leader of the CEDEF, 'Consulenza Esterna Della Famiglia', meaning external advisors of the family. It's basically an intelligence organisation separate from the family. His position makes it that he can't become the head of the Vongola family. As for Nono's children, he had three sons, all of whom are now dead."

As Tsuna processed the information, she raised an eyebrow at the last bit "All three?" she mused "I was under the impression Vongola was pretty powerful in the mafia."

"No, you're correct. Vongola is hailed as the strongest and bloodiest of the familia in the mafia… Your information gathering is impressive if you could not only find Iemitsu in the mafia but also get accurate information considering your civilian background."

Tsuna waved her hand dismissively, "I didn't do the research myself. I asked a trustworthy friend of mine to see what she could find besides you'll find that despite appearances Namimori isn't exactly your normal town. What I'm concerned about is how the supposedly strongest family lost all three of their heirs. Surely after the first or even the second, they'd put some measures in place."

Reborn stilled for a second, the soul-flame within him doing the same for a moment. It seemed that even the supposive world's best hitman didn't think of that. Tsuna could tell that holding that line of conversation wouldn't get her anywhere as he didn't seem to know anything about it. She looked at her digital clock at her bedside before standing. "It's time for me to get to school. Are you staying here?"

Reborn stood also, shaking his head "I need to assess my student if I'm to train you properly." was his answer as he surprising jumped onto the teenager's head. She instinctive raised a hand to stop him but he was already making himself comfortable. Shrugging her shoulders, she decided not to comment on it. No one would find it strange anyway given Namimori's way to cause people to find even the strangest things normal.

* * *

As Tsuna walked down the road to her school, Reborn sat on fluffy, soft hair thinking about the previous conversation. His student had killed. That was the obvious revelation that caught most of his thought. He'd yet to determine whether that was a good or bad thing, he didn't miss the way she never give an age as to when this assassin came knocking. It could be detrimental to her mental health for her to be killing at such a young age but she was going into the mafia. The soft-hearted had no place in that world, he knew. There was also the fact that where they was one assassin, another would surely follow. Reborn wondered how many they've been but didn't really know if he wanted the answer.

Also, who just asks information about the _Vongola_ and gets it?! She mentioned it like it wasn't a big deal but she worked off what had to be limited information, no clue where to start location wise and go through all the security Vongola has set up (though he was rethinking his high opinion on said security given how Tsunahime had pointed out that whatever measures they had taken had failed. What measures were taken, anyway? He couldn't remember but surely they were some put in place… Was there? Great, now he had that to think about.) Whoever she asked would probably give Viper a run of their money given a few years. Perhaps he could ask for an introduction? He's already looked into the guardians and found suitable ones but it wouldn't hurt to look again.

Her reaction against a threat towards her family was interesting as well. She clearly wasn't all bark and no bite but given what he has seen of her temperament that bite would only come forth under certain conditions which was good. A hot headed boss wasn't what Vongola needed. Her flames felt like a wrath when she was angry. Plus he could appreciate being protective of family, it was also something she'd need as a mafia boss.

And flames? Weren't those supposed to be sealed? He didn't agree with the sealing when he heard of it, sealing a sky had to be one of the Most Stupid Ideas (capital letters needed) he'd ever heard. That was only done when a sky committed an inexcusable crime and given they were part of a crime syndicate that was pretty damn difficult to reach. Even then killing the sky was more preferable as the sky would in a best case scenario would turn cold, unfeeling and over all _dead_ to the world. Worst case, they would kill everyone they could before killing themselves.

Anyway, point was those flames were not sealed. Her sky drifted around her freely and by extension him considering he was sitting on her head. He supposed it wasn't a bad feeling, her sky was so pure and strong, stronger and purer than Luce's, which was weird considering Luce was the _Arcobaleno_ Sky. Tsunahime's flames weren't pressuring his own either as most tended to do by instinct because he was so strong, they were just calmly drifting in the same quiet confidence that Tsunahime herself projected.

He watched as Tsunahime walked with a grace no civilian teenager should be able to emit, filing it away for later and gave an inaudible mental sigh, why did he have the feeling that he'd been feeling frustrated a lot in the future?

 **And that's the chapter done! What did you think? I wanted to set the scene and explore both Reborn's and Tsunahime's thought patterns before going into the story. Next chapter does have canon content though!**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Tsuna soon learned that having Reborn living in the same house, in the same room in fact, meant that beauty sleep was pretty non-existent. Not that she slept in most days because she did like to get up early but having a choice might have been nice. So on top of waking up early and dodging bullets that Reborn halfheartedly shot at her (if he wanted to shot her, she was sure he'd be able to), she also needed to train to be a mafia boss. Most of it was tests at the moment, him trying to figure out how physically capable she was or how capable she was academically. She was in the middle range when it came to school, she didn't have problems understanding the topics but she had a lot going on and she still had to really put all her effort into schoolwork. Reborn felt she should have good grades no matter what though, so a portion of her time was spend going over different subjects.

She supposed it could be worse. At the very least he seemed to respect her decisions if she pushed for it and was able to sneak away and let the others know what was happening and that, yes, she was okay and, no, she didn't need 'rescuing'. They were a little (a lot) overprotective sometimes not that she could really say anything. Reborn also seemed to understand that his type of Chaos was only appreciated when her mother was not within range of that chaos though that might have been the glare she turned on him when Tsuna politely asked for him to stop. She, strangely, felt like she gained some of his respect when she did that.

He also explained about something called Dying Will Flame, which he demonstrated with his yellow sun flame. It looked like Soul-Flame to Tsuna though so maybe it was the same thing? She thought so, though Reborn was vague on the flames. No doubt he wanted to have some fun at her misfortune. He also said he'd _shoot_ her with a Dying Will bullet if he felt that was needed though it wasn't used that often on girls because of the side effect of it tearing apart clothes. While it was a humiliation to boys, it could traumatise girls.

Reborn had also picked up the habit of calling her 'bambina'. Tsunahime was just glad she made it her mission to understand Italian when she had found out her 'father's' job. She at least knew he wasn't calling her something insulting behind her back.

Tsuna was at in her usual seat in school and watched as the teacher introduced a new student. A new Italian student though he had some Japanese features mixed in with the Italian. This had Reborn's scent all over it. The teenager had silver, nearly white, shoulder length hair with piercing green eyes. His school uniform was messy, giving the 'rebellious delinquent' vibe. Multiple rings adorned his fingers, a chain around his neck and one on his trousers. The boy's face was set in a permanent scowl, looking like he'd rather be anywhere but there. "This is Gokudera Hayato, he's transfering from Italy so I want everyone to make him feel welcome." Judging from the almost hungry looks that the other girls in class was throwing him, they'd do more than that.

The teacher pointed to the empty seat near Tsuna's desk and she watched as he turned a glare her way before stomping towards her. It was a pretty good glare, she admitted silently, and she'd be intimated if she hadn't seen worse and he wasn't a teenager. On his way, he kicked her desk making her slide back in order to avoid getting hit. She glanced curiously at him but he was already walking away. Given the way he just targeted her, he was definitely part of whatever Reborn was planning. Though what interested her more was how her soul-flames reacted when he was so close...

Despite the somewhat confrontation at the beginning of the day, the rest of school went by normally. Gokudera was hounded by fangirls throughout the day though. Tsuna wondered if she was the only one who could see the scowl and glare he'd throw everyone but given the way that many of the boys were staying out of the way, she guessed that fangirls were just more oblivious than what was normal in Namimori.

Well, the school day went normal until Gokudera asked for her outside the school.

* * *

Gokudera Hayato didn't really know what to think when he first saw Tsunahime, the Decima-to-be. She seemed nice enough, though nice wasn't what the mafia was and she'd be _crushed_ if she was as soft as she was nice. He didn't want to see that, and so settled on trying to hate her as much as he could. He ignored all of his instincts screaming at him that she was stronger than she looked. That she was more than she seemed.

It was difficult to hate her, more trouble than he thought he'd have. After all he hadn't had a problem lashing out and hating anyone and everyone before. But his flames… When he kicked that desk, gotten close enough to see how she stared at him unflinching, his flames reacted. He was a creature of instinct, despite how calculating he could be in a fight, he relied on his instincts to direct him. He'd long since grown used to that fact, given what he was. It was also because of what he was that he could tell more about his flame instinctively than most others in the mafia could.

His flames immediately sought her own out and he had to quickly turn away to his desk so Tsunahime couldn't see the shocked/happy/scared expression flicker across his face. He still felt the way her own flames had risen, how her flames had moved to meet his own before stopping a few inches away even now. Letting him know that she'd accept him but only when he wanted it. She give him a choice. For that alone he would have given up his whole plan of 'testing her worth', she'd already done it in his eyes, but _Reborn_ gave him this mission. You don't say no to Reborn.

So that was why he was here, behind the school, throwing dynamite at the one person who'd might ever accept him. What was he doing? He wanted to stop. But at the same time he was relieved. The person, who he thought would be eaten alive by the mafia, was strong. Even now he could tell she was holding back and while that should have infuriated him it merely made him put more in the fight. Tsunahime wasn't treating this as a fight to the death, like he proclaimed it was in the beginning, she was treating like a friendly spar. He could tell from the smile she was trying to hide behind the serious face she'd put on. It failed every so often, lips twitching up and he couldn't help but feel the same way as their flames, not yet visible, danced around playfully with each other.

Which is when, of course, he made a mistake.

So caught up in the fact for the first time in _years_ he could blow off some steam, without the chance of it turning deadly it, of course, turned deadly when he pulled out too much dynamite, lit too many in his excitement that some dropped so, so close to him. His mind blanked, body freezing like some novice in their first battle as reality set in. He wouldn't be able to move out of the way quick enough. He closed his eyes accepting the horrible fact that he just found his sky before he was going to be taken away from her.

He barely registered Tsunahime called his name, so full of desperation and fear, or the fact that a body had collided with his own before a series of explosions set off. He did feel some pain but not enough that should have come with being blown apart. The ringing in his ears was finally dulling as he opened his eyes to see Tsunahime above him, frown of worry in place as her eyes darted around him, looking for injuries. "Are you okay, Gokudera-san?"

"Tsunahime?" he muttered still in disbelief, (did she save him? Why?) before her question set in "I'm fine." he wasn't, that was a lie but he wasn't dead because Tsunahime had _saved him_ which made him so much more better. He felt like he could float he was that happy. When was the last time he felt like that?

Tsunahime nodded, standing and offering him a hand to get up, but he ignored it in favour of showing her how much this meant to him. "I was wrong!" he exclaimed, baring his neck as he bowed from his sitting position so much that his head hit the rough dirt ground underneath him. "You're clearly fit to be the Juudaime! Please let me be your underling!" Please let me have a place in your wide, open, accepting warm sky, Gokudera pleaded within the safety of his own mind.

"The loser serves the strong." recited Reborn, jumping down from the tree branch he had taken to sitting on when the fighting started but Gokudera didn't dare look up or even twitch till Tsunahime had made her decision. "That's the law of the mafia world."

He felt a small warm hand lay on his neck, where his pulse was, and felt his breath catch. He bared his neck more on instinct than decision, knowing only the bare few of his kinds' customs but that move showed her acknowledgement of them. Was she like him? He felt she was strong but haven't met too many of his kind to properly tell them apart yet. Her fingernail scratched lightly against his pulse before pulling away and he took the gesture to look at her.

Eyes brown flecked with gold and with so much warmth it took his breath away. A smile rose to her lips, as wide as her sky flame were. "I accept your oath of loyalty, Gokudera Hayato, under one condition." Anything, he'd do anything, Gokudera knew that and voiced his agreement. Her smile widened, he didn't think it was possible, "You have to become my friend before you are my subordinate."

And with that single line, he knew he'd follow her anywhere. His flames and hers reached out and solidifying that thought. Both had seemingly forgot about the black orbs that were Reborn watching their interaction knowing something more happened that what was on the surface and was determined to find out.

* * *

 **So, we have some hints of what makes this story AU! It won't change the story too much, don't worry. While it is AU, I will try to stick to the main plotline, mostly because my original stories tend to lose direction as time goes on. That being said, its going to affect the story in some way. One of the things that really annoy me when reading a fanfic story is when someone adds a different aspect to the main character (whether it being a crossover or just their own idea) but it doesn't really affect things apart from adding a different conversation to the mix.**

 **Thank you to everyone who have given their time to review thus far and been supportive of my story despite it only being two (now three) chapters** **in** , **I really appreciate it. I've had this idea I my head for so long, I had to write it down so I'm glad other people also enjoy it.**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

"You made a mess of my school, Alpha." Hibari Kyoya stated quite blandly as the newly bonded sky and element walked to the school gate with Reborn on Tsunahime's head once more. The cloud leant against the gate they were walking to. Reborn's eyes glinted with interest, preparing to watch the interaction between them. He would have thought the carnivorous boy would be more violent but he sounded more experated if anything.

Gokudera bristled at the arrival but didn't do much more, still half dazed by his new bond with his sky. Plus he caught a few glances of the prefect at his first day of school, who seemed to call everyone herbivore, so 'alpha' in comparsement seemed like a name of respect in his unique language. It also helped that he could sense that his sky's flames were also wrapped within the other boy's cloud flames. He was an older element than him, had been with Juudaime for longer, and he didn't want to make Juudaime sad by insulting the prefect.

Hibari's eyes gazed at Gokudera for a while, observing him, before his eyes flickered to Tsunahime who nodded to the question in his eyes. He ignored the baby upon his alpha's head, he had seen him around school and have already being informed of his situation. Though he would like a fight against him later, not now though, he wanted to see who the new addition to his pack was first.

Hibari walked towards the messy dressed boy (he made a note to bite him to death later for it because pack or not, no one got out of the rules) as Tsunahime offered a "My apologies about that Kyoya. I promise I'll help clean it up tomorrow. " she paused, wary of Reborn for a moment before deciding that with how much time he was spending with them he'd find out eventually "Plus the arena's just been fixed. As long as you try and keep the destruction down, I'm sure someone strong will fight you." It was a bribe and they both knew it, still he nodded. He did like fighting after all.

"Who's the dog?" Kyoya asked before Reborn could ask his own questions. He wanted to find out what he came for quickly, not wait for what was bound to be a long conversion.

Tsuna brightened even as Gokudera growled back in annoyance. "This is Gokudera Hayato, our new family member." She proudly announced, more than happy with the addition "He's got a lot of fighting potential." Tsuna knew commenting on his fighting skills would hold more interest to the older boy than anything else and so decided to go with that. It was just a bonus when she saw Hayato practically _glow_ , pure happiness radiating from him. Plus she got a feeling that he didn't get a lot of affection when he was a child so she made a note to make sure he knew just how much she appreciated her family.

Reborn patted her head in approval. A mafia boss should never be ashamed of their family and it was a nice change from Dino when his student calmly accepted the new guardian without putting up a fight. He did notice from her wording that she already considered the Hibari part of her family and so that meant he didn't need to work on getting a cloud guardian at all.

"As long as he isn't as annoying as that damned fox." was all Kyoya deemed to say on the matter because he turned to walk away after. Though Tsuna jogged after with Gokudera following if a little confused as to why she was following the carnivorous boy.

When Tsuna saw his confusion, she explained "Kyoya's going to the arena and it'll be good if you two knew where it is as I spend some of my time there."

"What is the arena, Bambina?"

"It's the underground fighting ring in Namimori." was the calmly stated reply, making Reborn twitch. Sure, he was mafioso but Tsuna was supposed to be a civilian.

"I thought you were a civilian before getting introduced to the mafia, Juudaime." Thankfully the Smokin' Bomb was in the same boat of confusion as Reborn and had no problem stating that he was lost unlike Reborn.

Kyoya growled, visibly annoyed and insulted by the comment, "Alpha isn't a herbivore." The statement might have cleared up some confusion if any of them knew how to speak Kyoya but as it was only Tsunahime had gained that skill among the group.

"The person who runs the ring is a friend of mine and I've got a longstanding invitation to the arena along with any family or friends I feel are trustworthy enough to bring with me." tried to explain Tsuna. "It's better if you see it for yourselves."

Both of them shrugged, accepting it, before properly making note of where they were going so they could come back without getting lost.

Kyoya and Tsuna led them into a normal looking restaurant, of which a lot of the customers paled upon noticing that Hibari 'Demon of Namimori' Kyoya had walked in. They all quickly found something to look interested in. Kyoya, for his part, didn't even bother to spare them a glance which spoke of how often this happened and continued to walk up to the waiter who was standing beside a door which held the sign of 'Staff only'.

Reborn watched silently as the waiter glanced at his student, his eyes widening minutely before collecting himself and giving a bow of respect. None of the customers daring to glance their way. Reborn mused over the fact that while Kyoya was obviously known by the man as after the bow of respect, he nodded at the boy respectfully, it was also obvious that Tsuna held a lot more of his respect. A respect that could only come from a position of power. A position that was higher than Kyoya's own as the Demon and Peacekeeper of Namimori. "Tsunahime-sama, Hibari-san." he greeted "Are you going down?" At Kyoya's short nod, the waiter opened the door and allowed them through, only throwing the unknowns a curious glance, which did get Reborn to raise an eyebrow. While he had been in Namimori long enough to realise how air-headed pretty much everyone in the town seemed to be, most still made a comment about his stature. He looked down to the head of hair that belonged to Tsuna, she must have a lot of pull here, even if he didn't understand why just yet.

They walked down a set of stairs that was only dimly lit in order to get to another door which Kyoya opened. It revealed a big open room. They were on the upper level apparently because Reborn could see stands below forming a circle that overlooked the arena-like clearing and heard a muffled crowd of people before he glanced at Kyoya. He was reported to having a dislike of crowds (Reborn absently wondered who was shouting 'extreme' in that crowd like that word was going out of fashion) and his grimace did let Reborn know that was correct so at least his own information wasn't incorrect (he was still pissed off at CEFED but had yet to get in contact with them, mostly because he really didn't want to have to deal with the idiota that worked there) so the people who fought here must be good if the cloud was willing to put up with that. Reborn felt a thrill of excitement and wondered if maybe he could get a good fight. He didn't have much hope but that was what it was there for. He'd have to ask for one later.

"Tsunahime-sama." A feminine voice smoothly broke through the noise, not needing to raise her voice. Reborn watched as a woman perhaps in her twenties bowed to the waist. She had short wavy black hair that just reached the woman neck and he caught bright green eyes before she bowed obscuring them from view. The pupil looked, strangely enough, slightly slitted. Her fringe was messy, though that might be because of the nature of her hair, in a style similar to Tsunahime's. Her skin was as pale as it could get before looking unhealthy with a small scar marring her right cheek. Around her neck she wore a small fang necklace and her ears held a small studded piercing. Her clothes looked normal enough if lacking colour, not that he could rightly say anything, a tank top showed off her curves and bust while wearing black jeans that was loose enough to not inhibit any movement.

"Ah, good evening. Let me introduce everyone." Tsunahime stated as the woman stood and watched with amused eyes was Kyoya just walked off, not bothering to wait. She didn't make any move to stop him as he when down another set of stairs leading to the stands below "Minus Kyoya." Tsuna added.

"I'll get him back, Juudaime!" Gokudera announced but Tsuna just shook her head, pacifying him.

"He does that all the time. Don't worry about. He wonders but always comes back." Tsunahime smiled fondly before continuing "Hayato, Reborn, this is Kurosawa Tsuki." she waved a hand in the woman's direction who just nodded towards them, hands in her pockets. Her posure was now slouched with eyes half-lidded. It seemed that personality wise the female could be quite lazy outside of duty. "Tsuki, this is Gokudera Hayato and Reborn. I hope you don't mind us looking around."

Tsuki waved dismissing the comment, "Maa, you own this place, Tsunahime-sama."

"Still, it's rude not to give any warning, especially when I'm with some new people."

"Own, bambina?" Reborn asked sharply, moving to sit on her shoulder to see her face properly. Knowing a friend who runs an underground ring and being the boss of said person are two completely different things.

"You don't know much about your student do you, Mr Hitman?" drawled Tsuki gaining a glare from said Hitman. She didn't even look fazed, in fact, she looked rather amused. "While the Hibari family are often looked at as the 'rulers' of Namimori, Tsunahime-sama is… well something akin to a Shadow Queen of Namimori if you will."

"Juudaime is amazing." Summed up what Gokudera thought about the whole thing.

"Oh?" Reborn purred, deadly intent oozing out of him.

"Ah, don't make it sound like that…" Tsuna winced, practically feeling the weight of Reborn's stare "It's just… my family is well respected here…" she steadfastly ignored Tsuki's snort of disbelief.

"While it is true that Nana-sama's family is well respected," Reborn took note that she didn't say Sawada, in fact, she seemed to be avoiding it which meant Nana's side of the family was respected but Iemitsu's wasn't. He must have done something, Reborn wouldn't put it pass that idiot. "Tsunahime-sama has done a lot for our community that is worthy of the respect that we give her."

"I have a feeling you're just not telling me this for my benefit."

Tsuki gave a lazy smirk that was too sharp around the edges, leaning further back in fake casualness. She shrugged "Quite the contrary, I'm just letting you know that if Tsunahime-sama is hurt under your watch and you could have stopped it… You'll have a lot of... unhappy people after your blood. We don't care if you're some hotshot in the mafia, pretty much all of us here are monsters and all of us would be more than happy hunt you down and show you why."

Reborn knew he shouldn't feel excited by the threat. He could feel his instincts tell him that every word Tsuki had spoke was true. He actually felt wary, not fearful, but it was a near thing. When was the last time someone had the guts to threaten him and have the skills to back it up? A long, long time. Oh, he was still annoyed at the bambina and he'd confront her later and get out of her anything else she might have conveniently forgot but right now he had a urge to fight.

"You two are a little too bloodthirsty." Tsunahime's voice cut through the intent, almost sharply, stopping Reborn from reaching for his gun. "And normally I'd let this run it's course but you're making Hayato uncomfortable."

At the mention of Tsunahime's family member, she could feel her soul-flames wrapped around the boy, Tsuki took a literal step back, swallowing harshly. No one wanted to be on the opposite end of Tsunahime-sama's anger, if they did something to one of her family members. That person almost always ended up dead and while she logically knew Tsunahime-sama wouldn't kill her, she had no intention of making him uncomfortable after all and it needed an apology. "Forgive me, Tsunahime-sama. I didn't intent to cause your family member any harm." Tsuki straightened her back and bowed almost stiffly once more to the waist, her neck exposed.

Tsuna sighed, her sharp gaze softening. She always got overprotective of her new elements, acting more on what her instinct demanded rather than logic "Don't worry about it, there's nothing to forgive. You know how I am with new members of my family." She glanced over Hatayo once more, as Tsuki had returned to her usual slouch visibly relieved, but he seemed fine now that the bloodlust was out of the air. "It seems I'll have to go home earlier than I wanted though. No doubt Reborn would like some answers. I'll have to show you both around another time." And with that she bid goodbye to her dear friend before beginning the long silent walk home, Reborn still on her shoulder, one hand around her neck for support that was a little too tight than what was needed.

* * *

 **I completed another chapter today so I figured I might as well as post it a little early. Hope you enjoyed it!**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

Tsuna opened the door, letting Hayato and Reborn in. By the time she got back it was already dark so her mother was safety tucked away in bed. She'd asked Hayato to come because everyone else who she was close to already knew and it was unfair to leave him out regardless of how long they've known each other. His soul-flame said all she needed to know about him as a person to know he was trustworthy, all she needed to do now was personally get to know him. "Explain." Reborn commanded, hand dangerously close to Leon, as soon as they stepped in but Tsuna carried on walking to the kitchen and put on some tea and coffee. She waited in silence for them to be done as Hayato shifted from one foot to the other before deciding to sit at the table. Once the drinks was done, Tsuna placed them on the kitchen table before taking a seat herself while Reborn jumped on the table.

"If I'm going to explain anything, you need to promise, give me your word on whatever is important to you, that you won't report this to anyone. And I mean anyone."

"You don't get to order me around, Tsunahime." It was only because he respected her Will that he hadn't pulled his gun out on her. Plus Leon really seemed to like her and might not change into a gun, if he truly wanted to hurt her.

"I'm not." She wasn't going to budge on this. This was her family's safety she had in mind. She'd wait him out for however long she needed to.

Luckily Reborn seemed to understand this because he soon sighed and sat down on the flat surface of the table, cup of espresso in hand, "I won't report whatever I hear to anyone unless it goes against my own morals."

It was as good as she was going to get so she nodded in agreement before taking a breath "To understand why I'm such a respected figure here you need to understand what Namimori is." She started and could already see the confusion in both of their eyes. While Namimori's citizens was strange with their obvious nature there was nothing else of any real value on the surface. "Namimori is declared sanctuary."

"Sanctuary? I thought Namimori was neutral ground." spoke Hatayo.

Tsuna nodded "That's true… It's neutral ground according to the mafia." Hayato's eyes widened in understanding. If Juudaime was similar to him and she was the 'Shadow Queen'...

At this point even Reborn would admit to being frustrated. Gokudera seemed to realise something he didn't, which meant either he was being stupid but he was Reborn, the world's greatest hitman, he didn't do stupid or the storm knew something that he didn't. This was the reason why he liked knowing things! "You mean there's another underground organisation that isn't mafia." It wasn't yakuza either because if Tsuna had no problem taking them to a fighting ring then she wouldn't care that much if she was part of the Yakuza. Still, Reborn had been around awhile considering his damned curse, could a crime syndicate go completely undetected? Was it even a crime syndicate?

Tsuna nodded slowly, she was trying to come up with a half decent way of explaining all this but she was coming up blank. "It's less of a organisation and more of a society." she tried. She was going with blunt truth. It was going to be easier in the long run.

"A society?" Reborn's voice was soaked with as much disbelief as he would allow himself, given the way the bambina gave an annoyed glare, he was successful.

"Look, Reborn. I'm telling you this because you asked to know. Keep your sarcasm til after." God, Tsuna was tired. She just wanted to curl into her bed and sleep for a good decade. "Fine. I'm going to tell you this as bluntly as I can." She took a drink of her cooling tea and risked a glance at Hayato who nodded back half nervous and the other part terrified but his soul-flames clung to her own, not wanting to leave, this one had loyalty in heaps. He'd fit right in."Namimori is Sanctuary for the supernatural."

"What?" the word left his lips monotone and bland. It pretty much got across how completely out of his depths he was. Reborn was at least glad that he put his cup of coffee down. He could tell that Tsuna completely believed in everything she was saying. He looked at Gokudera, who was practically shaking in his chair which was contrasting his serious and blank face, not even his usual scowl in place.

Tsuna nodded "It's because this place wasn't claimed by anyone else that it was named Sanctuary. Despite the fact that most here could kill anyone who made too much of a fuss, technology has advanced enough that someone would notice. And normal humans have numbers and weapons that we do not." It was true, somewhat. Average humans were pretty widespread and their numbers were far bigger than the supernatural community as a whole, but their weapons while powerful wasn't as powerful as them. Well, weapons that didn't also take out other humans out like a nuclear bomb for example. That was pretty powerful. Or weapons using soul-flames.

"You said 'we'." Ah, Reborn, so sharp. Sometimes annoyingly so. Actually most of the time. Tsuna nodded. "You're, in some way, supernatural then?" Reborn was really trying to wrap his head around this. It was probably easier to believe because he was cursed and now a toddler and had been for years.

"When I say supernatural I mean pretty much any and everything. Exorcists, Demons, spirits, vampires, there's even a few godlings that I've heard of. I'm not really classed as any of those. I'm sort of a middle ground, though I suppose I'm close enough to be classed as a demon." She was putting it off. Giving information that was needed but not asked for. She's never really told a normal human what she was. Was Reborn even classed as normal? With a sigh, she finally got it out of the way "I'm a Phoenix."

Hayato took this moment to choke on his coffee, coughing as he hit his chest, "A-a Phoenix?!" Disbelief coloured his tone along with awe. Tsunahime nodded, feeling for some reason, self-conscience.

While Reborn knew that even in myth, a phoenix was a pretty big deal, even if he didn't really know much about the subject but he thought that in the world of all things supernatural, it'd be normal. Perhaps uncommon but not to the point where such an exclamation would be needed. He'd pretty much guessed that Gokudera was part of this whole supernatural thing and that they somehow seemed to be able to tell that each other was part of it. Perhaps it was like a sixth sense? But he was going off topic.

Luckily, he didn't need to ask why the young storm was reacting like that because Hayato was already enthusiastically explaining what he knew. "To even see a phoenix is rare despite the longer lives we tend to have because they are so few of them. A lot of things are said about the phoenix: their flames are said to be the reason why humans and the supernatural alike can use Dying Will Flames and while no one is really sure if that's true everyone agrees that you don't go after their family. There isn't much concrete information about them apart from hearsay and rumours." He was still looking at the newly-revealed phoenix with stars in his eyes. Hayato was so writing this in his UMA notebook, to meet a real phoenix! There was a reason he obsessively wrote down anything he thought was strange, apart from actual interest.

Reborn latched onto something he at least knew about, he was so going to have a migraine after this information dump, "The source of flames?"

Tsuna smiled at them "We aren't the source of Soul-flames, though we tend to have stronger flames than humans and we can bond with multiple elements, regardless if we already have the same element already under our sky. Which is where the myth of transcendent skies come from." Soul-flames was probably what the supernatural called Dying Will Flames, and was that an actual thing? Thinking about the supernatural like they exist was going to take some getting used to. And transcendent skies?! That meant that she'd be bonding with more than six guardians, or would it be six guardians and more elements. Anyway that meant more chaos… Actually thinking about it, that wasn't that all bad.

Though he still did have a couple of questions, well more than a couple, but he figured he could space them out over time when he processed all of this. Reborn also had a feeling that there was a whole lot more to being a phoenix than what Gokudera mentioned. This, by the way, was not on his contract! "Okay…" he paused, just thinking about how out of his depth he was. Reborn haven't felt like this since he was a rookie hitman, "How can you tell if someone is a supernatural?" Because really, he's only just learnt that there was a whole new level of danger out there and while he could deal with that (the world was never safe) he would like at least an idea of how to identify said danger. He, absentmindedly, noticed that Gokudera seemed to pay more attention once he asked that question. Was he not as well informed as he should be, being apart of that society?

Tsuna's flames gently swept over him, not pressuring him but giving him a sense of calm that he really appreciated given the situation. Plus her flames were really relaxing to be around. "Well, the easiest way is to have a supernatural with a good sense of smell or instincts around you. If you don't have one of them then sometimes you can figure it out given the supernatural's personality. We tend to live off of instinct so we all tend to show some animalistic traits or abnormal ones, though given enough time we can learn to fight these instincts and blend in with humans."

"So there's no way for a normal human to tell?"

"Ah but you're far from normal, Reborn." Tsuna voice responded with amusement, correctly guessing that he wanted the information for himself "Like I said, a supernatural with good instincts and while you have a human body, your instincts have been honed for years. Spend enough time around us and you'll gain something of a sixth sense."

"You can also tell from appearance." Added Hayato, making Tsuna look at him in slight worry and surprise. She'd left that out because she could tell he wasn't very comfortable with his heritage.

"Appearance?" Instead of giving a verbal answer, Hayato's appearance shifted, becoming more wild and beast-like. His green eyes seemed to emit an otherworldly glow while his canines lengthened only slightly in order to become sharper. His nails also lengthened by a bare amount, becoming similar to claws. Though what was more striking was the silver dog-like tail and ears that seemed to grow before Reborn's eyes. "I'm a half-dog demon so this is what I look like if need to use all my power. Though extreme emotions can also cause me to change." Hayato never bothered to really use his demonic abilities when he was living on the streets. He could say it was because of the fear of someone finding out, which was a genuine reason (being a half-breed meant he never really fit into either world) but he knew that he didn't care much for his life. What reason was there to live if he didn't want to?

All Reborn could do to that was blink, quite frankly, "I'm assuming you can do something similar, bambina." was his way of telling her he wanted to see what effect being a phoenix would have on her.

"Of course." And to prove the point, she stood from her chair and partially transformed. As a full-blooded (or at least a three-quarter) phoenix she could turn into a complete phoenix though it was slightly uncomfortable due to the human blood running through her veins. The gold flecks in her eyes seemed to shift, swell and fill her irises till the orbs were more gold, with orange flecks appearing, than the original brown. Some parts of her hair also changed colour. Red and orange with small amounts of yellow highlights blended with the brown base as literal wings sprouted from her back. The two large bird-like wings took on a similar colouring as her hair. They were delicately folded behind the sky's back, as Reborn stood, interested.

Knowing what he wanted, Tsuna slowly, because her wings were very powerful and could easily summon a lot of wind, unfolded a wing and stretched it enough to be within reach of the Hitman. Gokudera shuffled in his place, to allow anyone to touch a phoenix's wings was big, even he knew that with his admittedly limited knowledge on his kind. It was the same thing for his ears and tail. Because they were summoned through use of their power, they tended to be sensitive and to allow someone to touch them was the same as trusting that person with your life.

Reborn was completely unaware of this and Gokudera's thoughts as he reached a too-small hand to slowly run it down the feathers of bambina's wing. Well, it felt real enough, so that was that, and ridiculously soft too. The wing seemed to admit it's own warmth as well. He was, however, aware when he felt Tsuna shiver under his hand and looked up about to question it but she waved her hand "A phoenix's wings are pretty sensitive." Tsuna yawned halfway, suddenly aware of how late it was and that she had school in the morning "Don't worry about it. You're not doing anything wrong."

Still, despite the reassurance and the strange need to carry on running his hand through the feathers, he retreated his hand, "It's late. You need to sleep." He ordered and silently added that he needed the time to process any of this as well.

"I'll be going then, Juudaime!" Hayato announced and was about to leave if not for the other wing that was folded to suddenly stretch and block his route.

"Not so fast, Hayato. Where are you staying?"

"Juudaime?"

"You just arrived in Japan, right? You'll still be looking for an apartment to afford so you can stay here while you do that." It was pretty much an order, Reborn thought to himself amused as he jumped to Tsuna's shoulder, the heat of her wings behind him was an almost reassuring presence. His anger was pretty much gone in the wake of the massive information dump he had been given. He could tell why she was reluctant to tell him anything at the start and if most of her friends (most likely included Hibari, actually especially Hibari, it would explain _a lot_ ) was in some way supernatural then she was protecting her family. He'd do the same in her situation. Plus it was difficult to stay angry in Tsuna's presence.

"B-but Juudaime!" Hayato tried to protest. Keyword: tried.

"No, Hayato." Tsuna cut off, her voice stern and serious "You are now part of my family which means that you fall under my care." Her voice got softer, "Let me make sure you're safe. Besides a newly made soul-bond like this means that spending a lot of time away from each other will be uncomfortable till it settles."

Hayato blushed and smiled, unable to hold back the warm, warm feeling that encompassed him induced by his sky's words. "If you're sure, Juudaime." he conceded.

Tsuna smiled, victorious, "I am." she reassured, "If you can't find a place that falls under your budget, I know some apartments that are kept for our kind. They'd be happy to receive you." At Hayato arguing look, she continued, knowing Hayato's pride wouldn't allow him to live off another "It's not for free of course. You'll have to work in the arena to pay for the apartment and you'll need to brush up on what you know about different customs but I can help with that." She stretched her wings once more, not able to do it to full length because the kitchen was too small but loving the fact that she still could. Being a full phoenix meant that while she could hide her form without any real side effects, it still made her uncomfortable when done so for a long period of time. "That's a discussion for tomorrow though, we do have school tomorrow and its late."

And with that, she led Hayato upstairs, showed him the guest room which Nana cleaned every week for some reason anyway so it was clean before making her own way to her room.

* * *

 **And that's the reveal! I had thoughts about hiding it for longer but Reborn being, well,** ** _Reborn_** **meant that I couldn't find a suitable reason why he wouldn't demand to know or somehow threat it out of Tsunahime.**

 **Anyway on the supernatural part I've used many different sites researching myths that would fit with each character and their personality. It's not prefect and they might be some people that aren't happy with what I've picked for the different people. I just want to remind those people that's its a fan fiction and so it open to interpretation.**

 **Thank you, everyone who had taken the time to review. All the positive comments really make my day and inspires me to write even more!**

 **I hope everyone enjoyed the chapter!**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

After the big reveal Tsuna had given Reborn, not much really changed, well, apart from the fact that she had taken to move around with her wings visible more often. Her mother not really seeing anything different than before. There was a more relaxed atmosphere in her home too. She didn't really notice how much hiding her true nature had affected her till she didn't need to anymore.

Still, after two days Reborn had gotten his thoughts in order and demanded to see the fighting ring again. "Good morning, Tsunahime-sama." bowed Tsuki once they made their way in. The Arena quieter now since most fought during the later hours of the day or were sleeping as some were nocturnal like the vampires for example. Though vampires didn't burn (or sparkle, because _why_?) when exposed to sunlight, they just preferred to sleep during to day because the bright light irradiated their eyes most of the time. Some had sensitive skin but that was the closest they went to burning.

"Tsuki! I thought you'd be sleeping." because really the woman was too lazy to consider not sleeping. Of course that wasn't to say she wasn't capable of doing her job. She could be scarily intelligent when the need called for it.

"Hibari-san was fighting till late in the night again. Something about a 'damned fox' annoying him in his dreams." Tsuki didn't even try to hide her apparent amusement that laced her voice and Tsuna smiled back in equal amusement. "The mess took a while to fix so I decided that sleep was a lost cause." That wasn't to say that she wasn't going to have a nap later though, mused Tsuna, nodding along.

"Ah, Kyoya really doesn't know how to hold back." Tsunahime sympathised shaking her head before gesturing to Reborn from his perch on her shoulder, "Reborn wanted to see the Arena again though I don't know why…" she trailed off, looking at the mentioned hitman.

"I've tried to guess where you were in fighting strength through various tasks but seeing as you were hiding the fact that you were a phoenix I want to see your full strength."

Tsuki nodded, "Maa, If you're testing Tsunahime-sama's strength then we have a few private areas that can mask supernatural energy."

"I'll show him to one. You get some rest, Tsuki. I have a feeling that Namimori is going to liven up soon." If only because she was now heir to a mafia famiglia. How did she get into these things? With a final wave to her loyal friend and subordinate, they were off.

Stepping through one of the doors on the level they were on leading into a medium sized open area. Reborn hopped off her shoulder to stand before her. Leon transformed into a gun. "I'm going to fight you?" Tsuna asked with a tilt of her head.

"That's right, bambina." At the response, Tsuna grinned, sliding into a stance and wings unfolding from her back and stretching to their full width of 4 foot for each wing before folding them loosely once again.

At the reaction he gained, Reborn raised an eyebrow. Weren't phoenixes supposed to be peace-loving creatures? Because that grin looked slightly bloodthirsty to him, though they say the sky is reflected by its elements and if her cloud is anything to go by… He matched her grin with a smirk of his own. Well, far be it from him to not give an interesting fight when the bambina was so obviously looking forward to it.

Reborn raised his gun as Tsuna burst into action, jumping towards him before quickly evading, the bullet though it left a trailing mark on her cheek that was quickly being healed by her secondary sun soul-flame. She blocked the other one coming at her with her wing before lashing out with her other one. It carried on in a similar pattern, he'd attack and she'd barely dodge, if she even could because human or not, he was strong and fast. Stronger and faster than her, that much was obvious. It was a humbling experience. Then Tsuna would retaliate with either her wings, fists or legs.

It was, by chance, that she caught an opening when he deflected her fist with his gun and took it. Her leg came sweeping out, he jumped over it as predicted but seemed to forgot that she had six limbs available to her instead of four because when her wing shot forth to attack he dodged slightly late allowing one of her feathers to brush pass his cheek. This wouldn't have hurt him if her feathers were normal but each could be a sharp as any blade when she wanted it and so managed to cut him if only slightly.

By the end of it, Tsuna was on the ground panting yet still smiling. A bullet wound in her shoulder and multiple scratches covering her arms and legs that were slowly healing. Reborn was standing above her not even winded but seemingly pleased with her, the scratch she'd given to his cheek barely bleeding. The only wound she'd been able to inflict on him. "Not bad, bambina." was all he said, though Tsuna wasn't expecting much, he wasn't one to give out compliments easily, she'd learnt.

"Ah, thanks, Reborn." Tsuna responded once she got her breath back before standing. She looked at the watch on her wrist with a frown, "I've got an hour to get to school and I'm a mess... Can you wait here while I go shower, Reborn?" Once she received a nod, Tsuna was gone.

Reborn stood, listening as her footsteps echoed down the hallway and growing quieter by the second before his smirk widened, probably scaring anyone with terror if someone saw it, running his hand over the small cut on his cheek that had now stopped bleeding. It was already healing due to the passive effect that his sun flames had on his body but he could feel the slight ache of his muscles. Tsuna had a long way to go to being able to beat him but it had been awhile since he's enjoyed a fight that much. Were all supernatural creatures like that, he wondered. Tsuna did say they happened to be stronger than the average human. Maybe he should give this fighting ring a chance… perhaps even participe. If what Tsuki said was true then they wouldn't be scared of his title and fight him with all they had. Don't get Reborn wrong, he loved being able to say he was the strongest hitman and able to back it up but that usually meant most people were either too scared to fight him, wasn't able to come close to even give him a challenge or were arrogant to the point where they were stupid.

Yes, Reborn would give this arena a chance...

* * *

Tsunahime yawned subtly behind her hand. Maybe she should have held back a little against Reborn because now she was beyond tired and had a science test result to get. Said science test was being watched over by Nezu who, in Tsuna's most humble opinion, was a complete and utter jackass. She didn't know why but Nezu-sensei had something against her, constantly calling her no good. Tsuna wasn't even that bad when it came to school work, granted she wasn't the best, but she wasn't the worst.

"Sawada." Nezu called once he got to Tsunahime's name on the register.

"Yes." She answered, hoping that would be that. Hayato was still new as an element and would be pretty overprotective even against verbal threats -then again her oldest elements were still overprotective against verbal threats. She reached out to get her test result, but it was snatched away before she could even try. With a tired sigh, Tsuna looked up at her teacher who happened to have a sneer on his face.

"Still no good, huh Dame-Tsuna?" He flicked her paper, showing everyone the twentysix that was in red ink though no one laughed. Having Kyoya as a known friend/protector tended to do that. Nezu huffed, obviously annoyed as he slammed the test on Tsuna's desk. She gazed at it, seeing answers that she knew were right marked as wrong before sighing once more. That teacher did that every so often, though it didn't bother her too much, it still managed to annoy her. Tsuna heard the door open before slamming shut followed Hayato's flames raging in anger for her. She turned and watched as Hayato walked in before sending some of her own soul-flames in a hope that it would calm him down. She didn't have much hope...

"What are you doing coming in so late, huh?!" Nezu-sensei shouted from the front of the classroom which just so happened to be the furthest away from Hayato. Hayato merely glared in his direction, causing the so-called teacher to recoil as if physically stuck and begin walking towards Tsuna.

Bowing ninety degrees, Hayato shouted "Good morning, Juudaime!" Ah, that's right, Tsuna mused, she woke up really early to spar with Reborn so Hayato didn't see her this morning.

Tsuna smiled brightly, ignoring the chaos in the room, "Good morning, Hayato." The storm's eyes sparkled with happiness which was soon replaced with anger upon hearing Nezu speak.

"Hypothetically speaking but let's say there's a student who comes into class late, hangs out with loser trash because similar people gravitate towards each other…"

Hayato's fists clenched as he bowed his head as if physically restraining himself, "Old man… I won't forgive anyone who insults Juudaime!" Hayato grabbed onto the man's shirt and lifted him into the air.

"I-I said I w-was speaking h-hypothetically…" Nezu tried to excuse while Tsuna watched on.

Hayato turned towards her, instantly beamed at the sight of his boss, looking completely at peace with himself. Tsuna almost thought he'd bring out his ears and tail with the look he was giving her, "Should I drop this guy, Juudaime?"

Now, Tsuna knew she should say yes… but this guy was annoying. Which normally didn't really warrant violence in her mind but he did just insult one of her elements, one of her family… Which was a line no one should cross. It was also a line that Nezu had no idea of though. What to do, what to do? With a sigh, Tsuna told Hayato to drop him.

Sometimes her conscience was annoying too.

* * *

"You guys should be expelled!" Nezu was shouting with the principal trying to pointlessly calm him down. "I was physically assaulted." He kept on shouting abuse but Tsuna had long ago perfected the act of ignoring Nezu's high pitched squeaking. She was currently wrapping Hayato in her soul-flames to keep him calm.

"Expelling them is a bit harsh, Nezu-sensei…" The principal said unsure. If only because Tsunahime was the only one who could rein in the demon that was Hibari Kyoya if she was to go, there'd be no school standing when the boy found out and raged about it. Nor would they be anyone to run the school either...

"I know." Nezu got a nasty gleam in his eye, "Didn't we have that fifthteen year time capsule. You were going to pay some professionals to dig it up… How about we have them do it. If, let's say, they can find it today then I'll forget about expelling them."

"Well…" The principle was about to agree if it wasn't for Kyoya opening the door to the office and walking in like he owned the place. He might as well though, he was Kyoya. What he wanted, Kyoya got. Walking up to the desk with a stack of papers in his hand, Kyoya dropped them on the desk and looked at the principal, obviously expecting them to be read now. Seeing this, the man ran to the paper and looked through them.

Silence followed as the principle looked visibly more interested in the paper, reading through them as quick as he could before dropping them once more on his desk with a frustrated sigh, "Nezu-sensei…"

"Err… yes?" Nezu was obviously cautious of the darker tone his boss' voice had taken.

"Hibari-san here has just given me paper evidence that your credentials were faked. And so, as of this moment, you are hereby fired. I want your desk cleared by the end of the day."

"W-wait, what?!" Nezu stuttered out "They're obviously lying about it. I come from the most prestigious university in Japan!"

"Wao, are you saying that I'm lying, pathetic herbivore?" Kyoya looked absolutely delighted (though the delight could only really be seen by people who knew the wolf) as he raised his tonfa in a silent 'bite you to death' threat, his flame echoing his excitement.

Needless to say, Nezu valued his life more than what little of his pride that he had and soon confessed. Tsuna was just glad that she didn't have to run around school finding some time capsule, as she watched Kyoya brutally rip into the false teacher even after he was fired. Lying was an offence, regardless of the fact that he owned up to it. Kyoya was being more brutal than what was usual (though that didn't count for much), Tsunahime knew that Kyoya knew of Nezu's less than kind attitude towards her.

Despite how cold Kyoya acted, it was just that; an act. Kyoya was a wolf, pack meant everything to him. He took threats to his pack seriously, even if it was just a threat against their happiness. Once Kyoya was done, he turned to Hayato. The storm stiffened slightly as the wolf demon walked up to him, obviously expecting something violent. That wasn't what he got though, "Well done, Dog, for protecting our Alpha's pride." his voice was quiet, only loud enough for those with enhanced hearing to pick it up. Kyoya gave a short nod before walking off.

Tsuna was glowing with pride as she watched her cloud element walk away from the stunned storm. She turned to Hayato with a soft smile, "Isn't that great, Hayato?" She voiced as he turned to her slightly confused, "Kyoya accepts you as part of our pack, our family." The beaming smile of pure happiness answered her as Tsuna watched something settle in her storm's soul-flames. It was as if he'd finally stopped waiting, stopped watching like he was going to be dropped and started to relax and feel once more.

Tsunahime couldn't feel more happy with her little family even if she tried, after all getting her acceptance was how others got accepted in but getting her other family members approval was how they got properly welcomed by the others.

* * *

 **I have always loved the idea of the different elements having a better relationship with each other. While I like the fact that they all support Canon!Tsuna in their own way, I felt it was pretty unbalanced that they would always be at odds with the other people in the group (Takeshi trying, fruitlessly, to calm things down). Granted, it became more of an act later on in the show but I feel that if they're going to be a 'family' then there shouldn't be just one person holding everything together. In this fan fiction, I've made it that while they all care for Tsuna a lot they also care for the other members more as well, even if they have a weird way of showing it. I will build on this as the story goes on.**

 **And that's chapter six, hope you enjoyed it!**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

As it turned out, to Tsunahime's fond exasperation, Reborn coming to Namimori seemed to announced to the whole universe that she always wanted to have a big family and fate twisted and turned so her new family members would fall into her lap. Not literally, thank god for small mercies because she loved her family (if anyone said differently she'd have to have a… word with them) but they didn't seem to have a lot of common sense. Actually they broke common sense. Her wolf and fox, heck, even her loud sun could attest to that.

Her next family member to arrive per say was all smiles, laughter and sharp instinct even if said smiles and laughter was most of the time faked and the sharp instinct hidden through fear of how people would react. As if her family needed to worry about what people thought because _people_ weren't family. Still, he'd learn that in time.

Yamamoto Takeshi, however, wasn't like Hayato who didn't know of her existence until she was _there_ and his sky. No, Yamamoto knew about her but willingly stayed away. She knew why, but it tore at her every time she caught him looking at her with that look of longing (wanting to belong within her soul flames, wanting that feeling of home) before he caught himself and looked away. He didn't hate her or anything like that but humans tended to fear the unknown and that was what she was to him. Unknown. So Tsuna reluctantly abided by his unspoken wishes and stayed away.

Or, at least, she had.

But there was only so much that her (admittedly small when it came to her family) patience could take. Seeing Yamamoto near to the breaking point was one of them that cut through her patience like a hot knife did through butter. So, Tsuna was going to charge up to Yamamoto and make him see sense (even if he hated her forever because of it) except she didn't need to.

Because he came to her instead.

Tsuna was left alone, cleaning up the baseball field, after everyone had pretty much walked off. Tsunahime didn't really mind, someone needed to do it eventually, even if she was somewhat annoyed that she had to do it on her own. And then Yamamoto came up to her, all smiles like he was want to do, and helped her clean up. "Not going to speak?" Tsuna asked gently once silence settled. It wasn't uncomfortable, quite the opposite, but Yamamoto was always trying to fill the silence.

Yamamoto grinned but at her piecing look (not a glare, she wasn't hostile to him but it got her point across) it promptly dropped and with a deep, tired -the type of weariness that comes from being too exhausted that you needed to force yourself out of bed in the morning- sigh, he said, "I don't need to with you, do I?"

Tsuna shouldn't be happy with that statement and at what it hinted at but she still was. Glad to know that he knew he didn't need to be fake around her even if he still tried to pull it off. "No, you don't." she agreed, "But you tend to avoid me."

Yamamoto winced, " _It_ says I'm supposed to belong with you and that I can trust you with anything." Yamamoto started and Tsuna nodded in both agreement and acknowledgement of what it was. "But I don't know why."

"I think you do." Tsunahime disagreed gently, "You know why but you fear it because you don't know what that means for you." She watched him as Yamamoto refused to look at her, his eyes full of so much pain and frustration. "So you try and distract yourself, lie to yourself. Won't you try and trust your instincts?"

Yamamoto took a breath, considering. He knew what Tsunahime was and knew that she knew what he was as well. He'd catch her sometimes, watching him as he talked to his friends, and when he'd laughed with them. She'd gave him such a knowing look. Tsunahime could see right through him and that scared him. He had spent so long perfecting his normal side. Making sure everyone thought he was normal and it worked, for awhile. Till he heard other people talk behind his back, about how he was so dedicated to baseball that his obsession was weird and _not normal_.

He liked baseball, it was a fun sport and his late mother introduced it to him, but it wasn't where his heart was. If he didn't train himself so obsessively in baseball then he'd be able to hear it. The call of his sword in his head. He'd get a twitching in his hand that all but begged him to pick the blade back up. It was worst because he wanted to pick it up. Feel the thrill that could only come with wielding his sword but it wasn't normal.

When Takeshi entered school, he realised that he wasn't normal, that even his mindset was strange, and at first that didn't bother him. It didn't bother him till he realised how lonely he was. For a year he worked to be normal till it became second nature and then he thought he could do both. Wield his sword and be normal.

He couldn't.

It once more became difficult to hide his sharp gaze behind laughter and it became even more difficult once his sword whispered to him one night about the sky who would accept all of him because he wanted that. He wanted someone who would not only accept the person who laughed in order to solve his problems and smiled even when he was sad but someone who would also accept the person who would glad kill someone with a smile on his face. The person who could stare Death in the face and laugh before putting someone else into it's embrace.

He wanted it so badly. He didn't want to hide anymore.

But fear was irrational at the best of times. Takeshi feared that once he did eventually show his true self to his sky that she would reject him. Would be scared of him despite the fact that she wasn't normal either. He could feel it even now, the warmth that his dad called flames that had always emitted from her, so close to him, waiting.

He was so _tired_. He didn't have the energy to resist, not when he really didn't want to. And so he trusted the instincts that told him that she would listen, that she would understand, "I've tried so hard to be normal, played baseball because boys my age like sport. I thought I'd understand if I played it and at first it was fun and I was good at it but even now my average is dropping and no matter what I do, it won't go back up. It's not the same." Not the same as the feeling he got when his sword was in his hand, a comforting weight and a heavy one at the same time. "I don't know what to do anymore."

Takeshi dropped to the ground and Tsuna followed suit, cleaning forgotten, "Don't you think that it'll be fun not having to pretend all the time?"

Takeshi's head snapped up and her eyes caught his, unwilling to let them fall so he couldn't have the chance to lie to her and himself "Fun...?" He felt the aching in his arm, the strain he'd put it through in an (wasted) effort to retrain his average score at baseball, "Yeah… I suppose it would be…"

Tsuna's face lit up and Takeshi had it blink at both the warmth that had settled around his chest and at how bright that smile was, "Then, how about we have a spar? Your sword against my wings." Takeshi couldn't really ignore how his blood rushed through his vines in excitement at both the idea of picking up sword and fighting with it. Before he could really stop himself, he found himself nodding along with the idea. Tsunahime jumped up and held out a hand for him. He accepted and was surprised when he could feel warmth rush through his arm, replacing the aching feeling he once felt. Tsuna smiled softly, "Can't have a real fight if you're already injured after all."

* * *

His dad looked pleasantly surprised when he asked to use the dojo with his sword in hand and Tsunahime by his side. Shigure Kintoki was almost purring in his mind at the prospect of being used once more and he felt a pang of sorrow for abandoning his sword for so long.

Tsunahime's wings were beautiful and deadly, Takeshi thought once they were in the dojo and he launched at her. The bamboo covering of his sword falling away to reveal hard steel. They were hard and the feathers could be as sharp as any blade. It had been a long time since he wielded his blade but his instincts didn't fail him and soon he was back at his old level, slashing and slicing this way and that, not even needing to hold back.

At some point in the spar, a smile appeared on his face and for once it didn't cover his sharp gaze but it didn't lessen how happy he looked. The smile stayed on his face during the rest of the fight and afterwards. Even when he was panting with sweat on his forehead. Laughter bubbled up within him and it was real.

"See, wasn't that fun?" Tsuna's voice sounded once his laugher settled down.

Takeshi's smile grew (he didn't know it was possible) as his sword regained its bamboo covering, blood already on its blade from the small cut on Tsuna's arm, which soon healed itself. He didn't feel as tired, despite the fact that he'd been fighting, and he felt whole for the first time in a long while with his sword by his side.

Why did he give this up for again? For people who talked behind his back with no care of how he might feel? Why? Why did he give himself up for those people? Takeshi didn't know but he was smiling so widely that his cheeks were starting to hurt and knew that he couldn't give this up again. He'd could play baseball again but he wouldn't let it take over his life.

After all, Takeshi was a sword and Tsuna had pulled him from the sheath he'd trapped himself in and allowed him to be free again. Takeshi wouldn't give that up for anything, for no one. Not even baseball.

And when he felt the warmth that constantly surrounded Tsuna drift and cover him before settling around him like a warm blanket, he knew he'd stick by his choice and would never regret it.

* * *

Tsunahime was walking away from Takeshi's house once she realised how late it had gotten before she felt a familiar weight settle on her shoulder. Automatically, her soul-flame curled around the small hitman in greeting before pulling away to drift around them, "Yamamoto Takeshi is apart of your family." It was a statement said in a way like he expected her to say the opposite but Tsuna smiled happily in agreement. Takeshi had always been one of her Own once she felt his soul-flames but now it was official and that made her more than happy.

"Yes, he is."

Reborn patted her head in approval while she beamed at him, "What is he?" Reborn asked. He listened into the conversation at the school as well as the fight and there was something unnatural about him but he didn't seem to be a demon like Gokudera was because Tsuna had shown her wings but he had merely drawn his sword. Though that sword wasn't normal. What bamboo sword turned into _steel_?! And the look Takeshi got when he fought reminded Reborn of a hitman, he'd be useful to the family if he was a natural born hitman and if he wasn't… well, his skill with the sword more than made up for it.

"A human." was the simple answer and Reborn couldn't help himself from giving her a look. Tsuna laughed, her flame playfully drifted near his flame though he didn't tense like he would have done if it was anyone else. Her flames wouldn't do anything he wouldn't want them to. Tsuna never pressured anyone with her flames unlike any mafia bosses he's known. Including the ninth and Luce. Or at least, she never tried to force a bond, always waiting for the other to accept her first. Her flames also seemed to react more to her emotions than a humans, Reborn realised. It must have something to do with her being a phoenix. "It's true, Takeshi is a human. Though he isn't what you'd call normal."

When it became clear she wasn't going to say anymore without Reborn guessing what made the boy abnormal, he sighed. He was supposed to be the tutor, not the other way around! Still, Reborn questioned, "His sword?"

Tsuna smiled at him before nodding, and why did he feel so goddamn proud of himself when she smiled at him? "His family are the wielders of a cursed sword. Over time this affected their brain and body. They tend to embody a sword."

"Embody?"

"When the cursed sword isn't drawn they act pretty normal but once its unsheathed their mindset changes. They won't care about what damage their opponent takes because they are a sword and at the same time they can ignore their own wounds because a sword wouldn't care if it's damaged as long as it can still cut." They were quite similar to the sword they wielded. Its bamboo covering made people think that it was harmless, not nearly sharp enough to be considered a threat, until the bamboo fell away for steel to take its place. Takeshi's sheath was his smiles and laughter, they hid the sharp gaze of steel in his eyes.

"Could he be suicidal in battle then?" While Takeshi would make a good rain guardian, Reborn didn't want to be looking out for a guardian that might get himself killed. It would be better looking for someone who has weaker flames and has more self preservation, even if Tsuna probably wouldn't agree with it.

Tsuna shrugged, careful not to knock Reborn off her shoulder, "That depends on what's at stake. Takeshi knows I care a lot about him so would take care of himself as much as possible but if I was endangered…"

"He'd fight to either his last breath or until you're safe…" Reborn finished, he supposed he could work with that. After all, Tsunahime's guardians needed to be protective of her.

* * *

 **That's another chapter done, I hoped you all enjoyed it!**

 **So I decided to chance how Tsuna got Takeshi into her family. I don't think this Tsuna, being much more aware of her surrounding and the people in it, wouldn't be able to see Takeshi's growing depression and stand by, doing nothing, allowing him to get to the point of trying to commit suicide. So instead I made them both aware of one another through the attraction of their flames (my description of flames in this story makes them seem a lot more instinctive than Canon! version on the fact that they are supernatural beings/ have supernatural traits as you've no doubt found out) but not very close on behalf of Takeshi's wish to be normal.**

 **I felt adding Takeshi's fear and need to be normal wasn't too strange or out of character for him. As a human teenager, I believe that anyone would feel peer pressure, wanting to be like everyone else, as well as fear of the unknown. Takeshi does know about flames but had never experienced the pull his flames had to Tsunahime's so feared it.**

 **I really liked writing Takeshi's character and his 'hidden side' so to speak. In canon I loved watching the happy-go-lucky side turn serious. It felt really cool to me so I built upon it, creating a reason for his two different sides. I quite liked using the sword/sheath metaphor about Takeshi's smiles as well. Rest assured, I'm going to be emphasising this side and how people would react to it further on in the story. It'll most likely by in the Varia arc though due to the lack of battles in the daily arc.**

 **Again, I loved all of your reviews. A lot of you seemed to like having a more family orientated dynamic which was a relief. It's really difficult for me to write angst without making it seem like I'm merely repeating the same thing but in different ways. On the other hand, I love writing fluff! I'll write a draft for a chapter and read through it and be like: My God, sugar over-load. That is, of course, in the later chapters I am in the middle of writing (being in the middle of the Varia arc at the moment) because while I love fluff I want to make it seem relevant as well as in character as much as possible and not simply put in there for the sake of it.**

 **Thank you all again for the reviews!**


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

Reborn was watching over Tsuna as she worked through her homework, asking questions every so often on something she was unsure of. He'd, of course, shoot her after answering because she should _obviously_ know the answer already. Reborn did think about setting up explosives but Tsunahime had made it very, very clear that any Chaos he wished to inflict must be far away from the phoenix's mother. He was Reborn and so could avoid hurting said mother but on the mere chance that he did… Reborn learned quickly that his flames _ached_ if he even thought about upsetting Tsuna (he resolutely ignored what that meant for him, because that was impossible. A fool's hope) and vowed to himself that he'd try his best not to disappoint her and if that meant he'd look like he was going soft on her so be it.

Tsuna stretched in her place as she finished her work, looking out of the window when she felt foreign soul-flames near her. She blinked in mild surprise when a cow-bull child was seen sitting outside on a tree branch from her window, in the middle of aiming a gun.

The child looked about five years old with an afro and green eyes. His small form was covered by a cow patterned jumpsuit complete with a tail. Horns on his head added to the cow motif. "Die Reborn!" the cow-bull child exclaimed but Reborn, in his usual indifference, didn't even seem to see the child and started explaining the next level of maths she'd be working on later. The child pulled the trigger of his gun but nothing happened apart from the Click!Click!Click! sound before he promptly fell out of the tree.

"Do you know that child, Reborn?" Tsuna asked as she watched the boy stand unharmed by the fall before running off somewhere else. Reborn carried on reading so Tsuna shook her head. While Reborn was a troll, he'd tell her if he did (even if it was in a roundabout way that made no sense to anyone but him) and if he didn't, he usually avoided the answer or didn't answer at all.

The child had somehow made it into her room and once again ignored her for Reborn, pulling out a knife -from his hair?- and rushing at the infant-man. Tsuna decided to nip the problem in the bud and tightly grabbed the boy's collar, putting him on her lap and willing her soul-flames to curl around the child. The calming affect her flames had worked almost instantly as the boy relaxed in her hold and went to sleep.

Reborn watched as the bambina used her pure, strong sky to calm the crying brat and couldn't help the spark of jealous rise in his chest, which, was ridiculous. He was a grown man, regardless of how he looked, and shouldn't be jealous of a child sleeping in his student's lap. Still, he couldn't quite stop his flames reaching for her's (demanding attention) before he regained his iron control over them. He obviously wasn't quick enough as Tsuna's eyes flickered to his (he was more than a little impressed with how in touch she was to her flames and those around her, not that he was going to say that) and her flames slowly, encase he wanted to change his mind, moved to his position and curled around him like a blanket. Reborn carefully hid his reaction to her flames like usual, wanting to almost purr in pleasure, waiting for the flames to retreat like they usually did.

Except they didn't.

And he soon slouched, every part of his being relaxed, unable to hold back anymore with those beautiful flames so very close. He was vaguely aware of Tsuna reaching over for him bringing him close -it spoke volumes that he didn't bother giving even a vaguely protesting noise- as she placed him on one knee, the brat on the other, cuddling close. Her wings were soon curling around her, and therefore him, blocking his view of everything but the sky as her flames grew in intensity with her phoenix side out.

Reborn wondered if this would be what he felt like all the time if he let go of his flames against their restraints like they begged him to do before forcing his mind far away from that thought once more.

It was a fool's hope, after all.

* * *

"... The Bovino Famiglia… I see… No… Yes, you have my thanks…" Reborn woke to the hushed voice of Tsuna as she held a conversation to the other person to the phone.

"Bambina?" he questioned from where he was still cuddled into her side. He was going soft, dammit! She gave a smile that was entirely too bright.

"Ah, Reborn's awake now so I'll have to go… Yes, of course. Goodbye." Tsuna clicked the phone shut, turning to him. "That was my informant. She was just informing me of Lambo's situation." The girl nodded to the child that was curled up on a pillow, having been transferred over there at some point when he was sleeping.

Reborn got up and (reluctantly) distanced himself from her. "Oh?"

"Yes, apparently, the boss of the Bovino Famiglia thought it was a good idea to send a mere child to kill you!" Tsuna sneered, it looked out of place on her face as something dark crossed it. Not that Reborn could blame her. Lambo was a child. Not a fake baby like him but a _child_. The boy's boss had pretty much given the brat a death sentence. Well, it would have been a death sentence but Reborn wasn't low enough to kill a five year old because he was annoying regardless of whatever impression he gave others. "Lambo might not be human but he is still a child!"

Reborn wasn't even surprised anymore. Tsuna attracted the supernatural it seemed and given the nearly violent way her flames were reacting she had bonded with the brat too. He hoped she bonded with another lightning later because he wasn't all that comfortable with shoving a five year old into vongola business. Mafioso or not. "So what is he then?" And did his famiglia know about it? Reborn hoped not but it'd explain things given that family made a _time travelling_ bazooka. Not even Verde knew how that thing was made.

Tsuna took a deep breath and relaxed "A bull demon. It, at least, explains how he was able to smuggle himself into a another country without help." Reborn just raised an eyebrow, glad that he didn't need to verbalise his confusion for the bambina to understand. He ignored the warmth when Tsuna started explaining without further prompting with practised ease. "Bull demons are notoriously stubborn. Once they set their mind to something it's impossible to change their mind. Other traits of a bull demon include: being physically strong and therefore resistant, loyal and aggressive, almost warlike behaviour to those who threaten their family."

Reborn sorted and filed that information before asking Tsuna about other traits her bonded elements had. Tsuna hummed slightly as she thought, "Hayato, as a half dog demon, tends to be loyal to a fault, protective -though that can be said for all of my family- short-tempered and intelligent. Takeshi, being a human, doesn't run quite so much on instinct as the others would do but the sword tends to make him more than a little bloodthirsty, and -like I said before- changes his mindset. Kyoya probably has the strongest instinct out of the lot and being a wolf has a natural thirst for freedom and roaming." Tsuna smiled "Family, or pack, for most demons is pretty important so when they find out about little Lambo they'll be over-protective."

"So Lambo is still counted as a child?" Reborn asked, remembering that Tsuna said demons and the supernatural in general tended to mature quicker than humans due to how they evolved.

"When demons hit 13 in human years they are thought of as an adult but until then most demons will be over-protective of the child, mostly because children are rare given our extended lives."

"So you're counted as an adult?"

"Yeah. Doesn't stop most people from going mother-hen on me though."

Reborn smirked.

As it turned out, Tsuna was right.

Once she introduced Lambo to the others they all doted on the kid… in their own way, of course. Kyoya nicknamed the bull demon 'small animal' and could be seen teaching the child how to fight. It was a strangely adorable sight, not that anyone would say that within hearing distance of the prefect. Though, Reborn took a picture. Fon might pay well for it. Takeshi now had grape candies on hand on the off chance he'd see the bull and had no problem carrying the child on his shoulders. He wasn't a demon and so didn't have the instant natural instinct to protect him but he seemed to follow everyone's lead on it. Hayato, despite naming the bull 'stupid cow' was surprisingly tolerant with him, often helping him with the homework Tsuna assigned Lambo to get him to his age level in Japan to enroll him into school.

Lambo moved in the Sawada residence without much fuss.

Tsuna blinked as she sidestepped the thrown drink, both her Hyper Intuition as Reborn called it and her common sense (a precious commodity in Namimori) screaming at her, you don't accept drinks from strangers, as the pretty Italian looking women rode on by. Tsuna watched in detached horror as the drink spilled onto the pavement and _ate_ through the ground…

…

…

…

Reborn, Tsuna thought exasperatedly, this had Reborn all over it…

So with that thought in mind she left the drink there (it had to stop at some point, right? And it wasn't like she could just pick it up with the poisonous liquid melting everything it touches) and made her way home, hoping Reborn was still there and not doing whatever a 'world's greatest hitman' does on his spare time.

Luckily, Reborn was at home… however he was also covered by beatles… Tsuna wasn't in anyway frightened by the sight like a normal teenage girl would be but then again she wasn't normal and she isn't classed as a teenager. However, the sight wasn't exactly normal, in either world. "Reborn…? What are you doing?"

"These guys are my summer minions. They collect information." Was Reborn even human? She's been thinking this for a while but he must surely have some supernatural blood in him somewhere. It was like he made it his job to break the things she considered humans incapable of doing!

"...I wasn't aware you could speak to insects…" Tsuna stated belatedly in her usual calm mask when confronted with something she had no idea how to handle.

Reborn seemed to ignore her but his smirk grew which told her he saw through her calmness, "With that I was able to grab hold of some information… Bianchi is in town." Bianchi…? Tsuna was pretty sure she'd heard that name from somewhere before… "She's a fellow hitman." Reborn further explained seeing her confused look.

Tsuna shook her head, "I'm sure I've heard that name somewhere before… I don't think it had anything to do with the mafia…" Tsuna mused before she was snapped out of her thoughts by the doorbell ringing.

"Pizza delivery!" Tsuna looked at the direction of the door, recognising the voice from before when that woman threw that poison drink. Was the woman expecting her to open the door after she just attacked her?

Yeah, no.

Maybe she'd go away if she ignored her.

"Aren't you going to open the door, bambina?"

Tsuna wanted to snort except she didn't do that so she settled for an offended look instead, "I don't know who is on the opposite side of that door but she tried to kill me, very unsuccessfully, about five minutes ago. I think I'm going to pass." Surprisingly enough, Reborn gives a little chuckle at that, jumping to land on her shoulder and pat her head in approval like some sort of cat.

It shouldn't make her feel all warm and happy…

It does, though.

Reborn started explaining once they heard her leave, "Her name is Poison Scorpion, Bianchi. She's a freelance hitman. She specialises in her poison cooking."

Tsuna blinked in surprise before she finally remembered, "Poison cooking, Bianchi… As in Bianchi, Hayato's sister who fed him poison so he could perform some abstract piano music?" She wasn't quite able to keep the venom from her voice or stop the way her flame curled behind her in fury before stilling as if waiting for her prey to get in just the right position so she could pounce. Her muscles loosened in a way that granted her the most range of movement possible before Tsuna caught herself at the last moment and tried to calm herself.

It didn't really work as she can still remember Hayato telling her the story one night as she covered him with her flames. He didn't tell her because the half dog demon was scared for himself though, no, he told her to warn her. Because his sister seemed to think it was a good idea to stalk her brother when he distanced himself due to the fact he couldn't even look at her without getting horrid flashbacks and physically feeling sick. Worse, Bianchi, from what she could infer from what her element told her, didn't even realise it was her fault and blamed other people.

Reborn nodded, trying not to shiver (it wasn't a bad shiver, either) at the way Tsuna instantly went into attack mode at the perceived threat. It was just his luck that the sky big and strong enough to hold him also wasn't one of those skies who sat around looking pretty while others did everything from them. No, Tsunahime was one of those rare, _so very rare_ , skies that wanted to be on the frontline defending her Own instead of the other way around and had the skills to back it up. Or at least would have the skills to back it once Reborn had his way. It made all sorts of things pass through his mind (many of them wasn't very innocent, he'd admit) before he pulled himself away from that line of thinking and tightened his control on his flames and thought process once more.

He was fighting a losing battle and Reborn knew it.

"Is she here for Hayato?" asked Tsuna, already making a note to tell the boy before he found out by himself and get him drunk on her flames. He'd need it if she was going to be around him for any length of time. Not that she'd let the woman though. If she tried, she'd make it clear where she stood.

"No, she's here for me." Tsuna raised an eyebrow in question and Reborn sighed. Might as well explain it properly, he didn't like the thought of Tsuna getting the same misunderstanding as his previous student got, "Since she was a child, she's got a fixation on me. I encouraged it because I can take care of myself and nothing can really come of it, being a baby."

Tsuna frowned, "Why would you need to feel the need to encourage it?" apart from messing with people's minds, thought Tsuna.

"She had a boyfriend, called Romeo. Bianchi killed him once he broke up with her."

Tsuna stared. She _did not_ hear about that! Yeah, Hayato is going nowhere near her till the woman puts herself into therapy.

Hayato was rightly horrified once she let him know that Bianchi was in town. She told, more like ordered, him to skip school until she sorted the problem out which made Hayato get a little starry-eyed before nodding once she reaffirmed she'd be fine because she had Takeshi with her.

This, of course, led to Hayato protesting, "Juudaime! That sword-freak isn't worthy enough to protect you!"

Tsuna frowned slightly, "Takeshi is part of the family now. Part of the pack. You must learn how to trust each other and not only me."

Hayato blushed, as he always did, at being called family so easily still not used to it and Tsuna had doubt that he'd ever get used to it. "B-but, he calls the mafia a game!"

"Takeshi has the rain soul-flame. He makes light of everything because it's his job to try to calm everyone. True, he needs to learn when to be serious, but like you he's inexperienced. In time, he'll get it. He's learning where his place in the family is and trying to settle."

Hayato went quiet at that, learning he had more in common than what he thought he had with the sword-freak. "I'll be more tolerant of the sword-freak, Juudaime…"

"I'm not asking you to be best friends or anything but try to see why he says certain things."

"Of course, Juudaime!"

She was glad that Hayato didn't end up coming to school because on the way there the woman ambushed her multiple times in order to try and poison her. Tsuna briefly wondered if she should drink some of the poison to freak the woman out. As a phoenix, she healed quickly and being supernatural meant she had a natural resistance to most poisons before deciding better. She didn't want to risk the poison being too strong and end up ill because of it. Hayato would, no doubt, blame himself while everyone fretted over her.

It was all for nothing, however, when the following morning Bianchi was inside her house. Inside her _home_. Tsuna felt calm wash over her as she eyed Reborn next to her in a Japanese summer yukata as Bianchi went over to him, "What are you doing here?" Reborn was eyeing her with hidden wariness, correctly guessing at the rage hidden underneath the calm (Reborn made a mental note to make sure Fon and Tsuna never met. They'd get along like a house on fire).

"For love." Bianchi answered. "Reborn needs me."

Reborn said at the same time, contradicting everything the woman just said, "It's for work. I thought about asking Bianchi to partly tutor you."

Tsuna twitched. Reborn's methods did work, she admitted to herself, however she refused to have that woman anywhere near her home while Hayato was living in it. She was about to say just that but Bianchi was already saying something about home economics and art before she left to go to the kitchen. Tsunahime shot Reborn a glare, thoroughly annoyed and she was going to have talk about this but not now.

Right now she had to get that woman out of her house as quickly as possible before Hayato came back from the shop. Tsuna rushed downstairs, only for the door to open with Hayato in the doorway and a watermelon in hand "Juudaime! Would you like some watermelon? It's supposed to be really sweet!"

"Actually, Hayato-" Tsuna cut herself off, taking in the scared and sickly expression of her storm.

"Big sis!" Hayato managed to get out, taking in the form of Bianchi and Reborn beside her before rushing outside.

"He's always like that, strange boy…" mused Bianchi behind Tsuna and she felt something snap within her.

"Get out…"

Bianchi blinked, turning to look at the heiress of the vongola, whose eyes were shadowed by her hair. Bianchi, instincts honed from living in the mafia world, started shouting at her. "What?" she asked. Reborn felt his student's flames once again still and jumped out of the way.

"I said…" Tsuna looked up, eyes gold with an orange tint, blazing with power and threat, "Get out!" she hissed in fury, watching as Bianchi jumped at the unexpected noise. "You dare show up into my house -my home!- after trying to poison me and my Own. Leave, before I make you."

"What did you say, brat?!" Bianchi shouted in outrage. Who did this kid think she was, Vongola boss-to-be or not. Biancho promptly choked and paled as sweat broke out upon her forehead as the kid's flames rose, filling the air so completely that she could start to see the orange flames raging around her.

"Oh?" Tsuna spoke, her voice deceptively soft, a smile with too much teeth and edge appeared on her face. The apparent calmness on Tsuna's face was almost mocking, "Didn't I make myself clear?" Bianchi swallowed and strunk in on herself. Tsunahime's flames snapped in the air "Get. Out." Bianchi didn't need to be told again and fled, Tsuna watched her go with narrowed eyes. "Reborn."

"Yes, bambina?" Reborn fought to keep his voice even as he watched the back of his bambina's back. Excitement coursed through his veins, his too-small hand twitching for his gun.

"Next time you want to hire some help to tutor me, can you let me know beforehand?"

"I'll try." Reborn replied not promising he wouldn't but not saying he would either (he needed his Chaos) and breathed a sigh -of both relief and so he could calm himself down- as Tsuna's flames turned warm once more, fading from view but still very much there as they curled around Reborn protectively. Tsuna turned and smiled softly at him, picking him up and placing him on her shoulder as she went out to check on Hayato.

Reborn was falling, falling so hard and he couldn't do anything to stop it.

He didn't want to do anything.

* * *

 **Another chapter done! I hope you all enjoyed it.**

 **It really had too had fun writing angry, protective Tsunahime. I hope you enjoyed the little scene. I wanted to make it clear that Tsuna doesn't need to rely to her elements for help and is more than capable of being confrontation if needed. That being said I do like how calm Tsuna is normally (even if its just mask to hide her emotions) so she won't be angry all the time. I think it's more effective if it's few and far between. However, she will have clear triggers for her anger.**

 **We've also got some progression on Reborn's and Tsuna's relationship! Obviously nothing with be happening for awhile yet due to the curse but I wanted to make Reborn more aware of his feelings early on so when it does happen it doesn't seem to sudden.**

 **We've also got Hayato in here, with Tsuna commenting on his relationship with the other elements. I felt like this scene needed to be in here to help explain why Hayato is more tolerate of the people who surround Tsuna.**

 **And again, thank you for the reviews, I'm glad that all of you like Takeshi's chapter and the whole cursed sword thing. Thank you all!**


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

"I-Pin's in town." called Reborn as his dragon flies flew off him and left. His minions for the Autumn season apparently.

"I-pin?" Tsuna repeated, tilting her head. Reborn was struck with the image of a kitten overlapping his student's form and wondered, not for the time, if his student did that on purpose.

"The assassin from Hong Kong, also known as the Human Bomb."

"Human bomb?" Tsuna mused. That sounded equally dangerous to the assassin and their victims and Tsuna wondered what someone had to do to get such a nickname. "Is this assassin here for a particular reason?"

"What do assassins do other than killing?"

Sleep, thought Tsuna amused at herself before shaking her head. As long as this assassin didn't bother her or her Own she'd leave them alone.

* * *

At school, when it was time for Tsuna's class to clean the hallways, she saw a child. She -for her soul-flames were definitely female- was bald except for a braid that seemed to defy gravity (why was no one questioning that?) Her eyes are closed and she wore a red cheongsam-style shirt with white sleeve cuffs over dark shorts. She had circular red spots on her cheeks, perhaps a permanent blush, and noticeably no ears. (Again, why is no one questioning that?). The chinese girl -inferred from her clothing- was talking to Ryohei's sister and idol, Kyoko. She pulled out a piece of paper before looking at Tsuna, pointing up and rushing off.

"Tsuna-chan!" called Kyoko, "Do you know that kid?"

"Ah, no. But I have a feeling I will soon."

Kyoko giggled in that girly way of hers before saying, "If you see Onii-chan today can you tell him to be home early? I'm making supper."

"Of course, he loves your cooking more than life itself." Tsuna was glad she was able to talk Kyoko out of restraining her brother's need to fight when they were younger. It wasn't right to force Ryohei to stop doing what he loved because Kyoko worried for him. At the same time Tsuna understood that Ryohei didn't know how to restrain himself in order to not accidentally kill himself and so found a solution to the problem. Ryohei was allowed to fight in her fighting ring but the people who oversee the fights had been given a special order from her that it Ryohei was in need of healing but was being too stubborn about it than they could interrupt the fight and get him out.

Since then, every so often Tsuna would go on a run with Ryohei, fight him in the ring or visit his club to make sure he was okay. He was one of hers, after all. She should probably introduce Ryohei to Reborn but the boy was always busy training or fighting when he tried.

Tsunahime said goodbye to Kyoko and her friend, Hana, before leaving for the roof, hoping that's what the child meant. Tsuna blinked as she saw the child in front of her, in a stance with a bun in hand before she started firing out rapid chinese at her. "You are my target and so I will kill you." Tsuna blinked looking over at her shoulder to Reborn, who was standing near the water tank, "That's what it translates to."

"Target? What are you talking about?"

"That's I-Pin, the assassin." Tsuna blinked, not really expecting that. Sure, Reborn looked like a child but she was pretty sure that was a curse. I-Pin, on the other hand, was most certainly a child. She didn't really know what to do in this situation. I-Pin apparently did, however, as she soon got into her stance once more.

Tsuna dodged whatever was thrown at her, not really understanding why such a horrid smell accompanied it and, as gently as she could, restrained the child. Who then grew nine dots on her head? Tsuna looked at Reborn "That's the countdown for the Pinzu-timed super explosion. I-Pin's shyness is at an extreme level. When that shyness reaches its peak and their is only one dot remaining, I-Pin explodes."

…

"I thought humans were supposed to be normal." Tsuna sighed and watched as the countdown began when the child clung to her leg. Takeshi and Hayato took that time to come and see her. Seeing her retraining someone and thus could be a potential threat (the fact that it was a child didn't really cross their minds at that point) to their sky instantly set them on protective mother-hen mode, all the while thinking about the easiest way to kill the threat.

"Juudaime are you okay?"

"Haha, Tsuna?"

She smiled brightly, thankfully stopping any misunderstandings, "Of course, give me a second." Tsuna frowned in concentration as she wrapped the girl up in the warmth of her soul-flame, washing the shyness (and therefore the pending explosion) away.

As it turned out, I-Pin was extremely nearsighted and mistook Tsuna for her target by mistake. While Tsuna was naturally glad she didn't have an assassin after her anymore, she was a little insulted that she was mistook as not only a male, but the fat, ugly one that was on the picture.

Tsuna ended up buying I-Pin glasses with elastic so it stuck on her head even with her lack of ears (again, _why?_ ) though the girl forgot them half of the time.

This ended up spawning the creation of the 'broccoli monster' and the chaos that came with it.

* * *

Tsuna, later, ran into Miura Haru, who had a weird fascination for babies (and therefore _Reborn_ ) and somehow blamed Tsunahime for Reborn's less than normal outlook on life, i.e being a hitman and the mental instability that came with it. Tsuna would like to say that she had no responsibility for Reborn and therefore his actions. Anyone who did or had, would most likely die (or had died) from stress. That, or being shot by the not-infant himself for daring to have any say over his life.

Thankfully, she was able to spin a story about dwarfism (which gained a surprised look from Reborn for some reason) and was thus able to avoid what would have probably been an annoying situation.

Tsunahime had always known that people in Namimori tended to be insane (everyone in this town was, though some were able to hide it better than others) but none of them really bothered her until Reborn came kicking (quite literally) into her life.

It's probably worth it in the end.

* * *

Tsuna hummed under her breath lightly as she walked home from school only to blink in surprise as she saw the black-suited men that practically screamed mafia outside her home. Why did she even bother about getting surprised nowadays anyway she wondered as she walked forward, the epitome of calm. One of the men actually blocked her path, she raised an eyebrow in question, "I can only let the Sawada family members pass through right now."

"Oh?" Tsuna asked, needlessly, "How funny…" her tone of voice suggested the opposite, "I can't remember letting anyone have such authority within my home…" she eyed the man who was clever enough to step aside, a thin trail of sweat marking his forehead. She thought she talked about this to Reborn, Tsuna lamented, then again telling Reborn anything and expecting him to listen was most likely a miracle.

Stepping into her room, Tsuna was annoyed at finding two more goons along with a man whose chair back was facing her. Was it not considered rude in Italy to enter a girl's room without permission? The chair was black leather and not something either her mother or Tsuna owned, meaning the man brought it here in order to sit on it instead of using one of the normal ones they owned. "We've been waiting, bambina." stated Reborn.

She graced him with a blank look as the man started to turn around, saying, "Yo, Vongola boss. I've travelled a long way to pay a visit. I'm Cavallone Family's Tenth Boss, Dino." He was a tall, young man with blonde wavy hair, warm brown eyes and wore a green-and-black jacket over a dark red shirt. Baggy trousers donned his legs. The man had a tattoo peeking out from under his jacket on his arm.

"A pleasure, I'm sure. Can you tell your men -assuming they are your men- to stop blocking the doorway? They'll intimate my neighbours." And make her more protective friends (which was all of them) think she was in danger. She didn't want to have to deal with a war between the mafia and the supernatural, "Also, what's with the chair?"

"A mafia boss must look good, bambina." responded Reborn with a (did that look proud?) smirk, the only one in the room used to dealing with her and therefore knew what to expect. Dino and his two men seemed at be staring at her in shock, currently.

Tsuna let out a low, near silent sigh, sitting down at her coffee table with Reborn after sensing no real danger from anyone in the room, "So do I want to know what this Cavallone boss is doing here?"

"Dino in your senior student."

"So you taught Dino-san before me?"

"Correct."

"You're good." Tsuna blinked, looking from Reborn to the man who was responsible for bringing twenty or so unknowns near her home and therefore near her precious mother, "You've already got the aura and composure of a boss. You're much better than how I started out when Reborn came to me." Dino then went on to saying that he didn't feel ready for Reborn to leave him and for some reason brought out a turtle.

(Tsunahime would later be a tad disturbed to realise that said turtle was somehow Leon's child. She didn't want to know how that worked out. She really didn't.)

"Do you infect people with your abnormality?" Tsuna asked Reborn as Dino held out the turtle. Reborn, like normal, aimed a kick at her which Tsuna dodged not even glancing at him. Reborn pretty much did it out of habit now, as she did with dodging. Dino went shockingly quiet and glanced at Reborn as if waiting for something else to happen but Reborn merely landed on her shoulder and smacked her (gently) on the head, an amused smirk in place, "Did you kick his puppy when he was a child? Poor man looks at you as if you're Satan incarnate." Not that she was denying that. Tsunahime just had too much dignity and pride to look that easily scared.

Reborn's smirk grew. No doubt enjoying himself at Dino's expense. It was pretty amusing actually, Tsuna could see why Reborn went out of his way to do the same with her. I-Pin and Lambo took the lull in conversation to charge in, playing their version of tag. Which, apparently, included grenades in Lambo's case. The cow-bull child didn't bother aiming properly (or at all, really) and threw them. They flew out of the window, "That's not good, Dino's men are out there." commented Reborn as if talking about the weather, not making any move to do anything.

Dino, to Tsuna's growing respect for the man, didn't even hesitate. He jumped out of the window, bullwhip in hand. "Get down guys!" he ordered, catching the grenades with his whip and throwing them up into the air and away from his men, who started praising him.

"You taught him well, Reborn." Tsuna said, smiling. To risk his life so easily for his men put him in Tsuna's good books even if he didn't create the best impression with his bad manners and the numerous men he brought with him.

"I don't need you to tell me that, bambina." Reborn said, though was unable to stop his smirk morphing into a smile before he got himself under control. It didn't help his control when Tsuna's flames encased him in a brief hug, warming him. "Dino, why don't you stay over today?"

Dino looked up from his chattering men "I'm okay with it but what about these guys?"

Tsunahime's flames weren't rejecting the idea of Dino coming over but judging from her earlier reaction, Tsuna didn't like too many people around her when she didn't know them on some level (which he could understand and appreciate) so Reborn said, "You can let your men go back."

Dino looked almost nervous for a second before regaining the cool composure he showed off before, "All right. I might as well give the Vongola boss a bit of advice."

"Aren't you lucky, bambina?" Added Reborn

Tsuna merely smiled indulgently at them.

* * *

"So ask me anything, my cute little sworn sister." Tsuna tilted her head, since when was she his sister? Was it because they were both Reborn's students? Well, Tsuna supposed, she didn't mind. Dino was a good man, saving his family like that plus Tsuna liked having family. The more, the merrier and all that.

"Well, It's not so much a question for you but for Reborn." Reborn looked up from his food, "If you were doing so well with Dino-san then why did you come to me?"

"Vongola is the centre of the allied families. It gets top priority in every aspect." Tsuna could only mentally sigh at that, she's been getting that impression, what with every mafioso she comes across seems to know the name Vongola. It seemed quite arrogant to her.

"Oh Dino-kun… You spilled your food!" Nana laughed lightly, not all that bothered as the grown man blushed in embarrassment.

"Without his men, Dino only functions at half of his potential." Reborn explained as Tsuna looked at the mess Dino had made. It seemed like it was less than half to her with that amount of mess. "He's the type that only uses his powers for his family or in front of his family. Without his men, his athleticism drops dramatically."

"Jeez… Saying things like that, Reborn… It's just because I normally use knives and forks instead of chopsticks…" defended Dino and Tsuna for the sake of the poor man's tattered pride left it be and got on with finishing her meal.

And she would have left it at that, except Nana had gone to prepare Dino a bath and screamed. Tsuna was up and running before she even registered she was doing so. Tsuna didn't even glance Dino's way when he tripped over his own feet. Tsuna was at the door when Nana came running at her. Tsuna pulled the woman into a hug, heart beating furiously from the shock as she processed that her mother was completely fine and was saying something about the tub.

Curious, after double checking her dear mother was okay, Tsuna went to investigate but stopped short when she opened the door, "Is… is that a giant turtle…?" disbelief coloured her voice. Enzio seemed to have grown and was taking up most of the tub with his size. A noticeable chuck of said tub was missing, as if the turtle bit through it. He probably did. How was mafia stranger than the supernatural!? There had to be a mistake there somewhere.

"Crap… That's Enzio. When did he escape?" Dino acknowledged that the turtle was in fact his cute little pet. He wasn't very little anymore.

"Enzio is a sponge snapping turtle. He swells up if submerged in water. When enlarged, Enzio becomes feral and will eat a whole house." Reborn explained though it didn't make much sense. Since when was that an actual species? Tsuna quickly placed a hand on I-Pin's shoulder to stop her from attack Enzio. Didn't want to enrage the beast if the attack didn't work. Turtles could hold their breath for a while being sea creatures, after all. Though it was very strange that said sea creature seemed to be unable to go near water without side effects.

"Nobody interfere. I would be a disgrace to the Cavallone family name if I couldn't even take care of my pet." Dino said, holding his bullwhip.

Yeah, no. Not happening if he was worse than her as a child when she was a klutz without his men around. "Actually, Dino-san as your underclassman, so to speak, shouldn't I help you with your problem?" Tsuna was not above manipulating the man if that's what kept her house in one piece. From Reborn's smirk, he knew what she was doing but when didn't he?

Dino grinned with a surprised pleased look in his eye, "Well, when you put it like that…" Tsuna actually felt sorry for manipulating him when he replied so honestly…

Still she had a problem to deal with… With her superior strength as a phoenix (it seemed that if you hung around Reborn for long enough people forgot what common sense was and didn't ask the normal questions apart from the infant-man himself. Though that depended on his mood as well...), Tsuna pinned the turtle to the wall and super dried him with her soul-flames' heat.

* * *

Tsuna sighed as she finally relaxed into her bed. Dino was using the spare guest room now that Hatayo was gone. He'd took her up on the offer of getting his own apartment so long as he worked at the arena and came to her once a week to go over supernatural customs (not that Hayato needed convincing about spending time with her) which Reborn was also sitting in on. "Tsunahime?" Tsuna blinked at both Reborn's serious tone of voice and her full name being used. Reborn tended to call her 'bambina' most of the time now, not that she was complaining. It seemed that sleep was being put on hold for awhile longer.

Tsuna sat up and watched as Reborn jumped up to her bed, "What is it, Reborn?"

Reborn seemed to be still deciding what he wanted to say. Indecisive was not in Reborn's vocabulary and it made Tsuna even more worried. Her soul-flames scanning him automatically encase of an injury Tsuna knew wasn't there without her conscience thought on the matter.

Finally, he came to a decision and said, "What's wrong with Nana?"

* * *

 **Cliffhanger! Don't hate me!**

 **So what did you think? I left a hint that something was wrong with Nana in chapter two and three, did anyone see it? It was really small, however and could be taken as normal protectiveness. I wanted it to be a surprise after all.**

 **Did anyone like Tsuna's reaction to Dino? I read through the manga again recently and when I got up to that chapter I was surprised by how rude I thought he was (i.e. having like twenty men outside Tsuna's house when only a small group was needed if it was for protection with two more in his room all the while making himself comfortable in Tsuna's room like he owned the place). Don't get me wrong, I like Dino as a character, he was/is pretty cool, but he won't have as close as a relationship with my Tsuna than he did with Canon!Tsuna. Canon!Tsuna and Dino bonded on how 'evil' Reborn was to them and how similar they were. My Tsuna is very different from Canon and while Reborn does spread Chaos (with a capital) he respects Tsuna a lot more early on than he did with Canon!Tsuna, due to the fact she has an actual backbone and doesn't complain with a genuine reason. Tsunahime will still have a good relationship with Dino. She'll just be aware he has some faults, which all people have. There is also another reason why she takes his lack of respect so personally, though I'll reveal that in another chapter (possibly in the Varia arc).**

 **I glossed over Haru's part... I'll be honest, I don't really like her character. I'll include her in the parts she is in with the Canon story (probably) but I just found her annoying. She hated Canon!Tsuna because she wrongly accused him of raising Reborn incorrectly (which he denied he was even related to, and even if he was, she has no right to dictate what is wrong or right with someone else's child/sibling) then he loved him because he saved her (which was caused by a series of events she caused by attacking Canon!Tsuna), pushing all her advances onto him... I'm aware that Katekyō Hitman Reborn! was written as a comedy and she was probably comedy relief but my story, while funny in some parts, takes a slightly more realistic approach.**

 **That being said, this is just my opinion and everyone has a right to theirs. I don't really want to bash Haru (which I'll probably end up doing if I write her) as I'm already doing it to other people and I don't want to make it seem like Tsunahime is being angry at everyone when she is naturally calm. Again, this is my** ** _opinion_** **, please don't write awful, hateful reviews because you don't like what I've done.**

 **Talking (or is that writing?) about reviews, thank you everyone for them! I know I've already said this but I'm saying it again: they really make my day and I love reading your feedback!**


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

 _Tsuna sat up and watched as Reborn jumped up to her bed, "What is it, Reborn?"_

 _Reborn seemed to be still deciding what he wanted to say. Indecisive was not in Reborn's vocabulary and it made Tsuna even more worried. Her soul-flames scanning him automatically encase of an injury Tsuna knew wasn't there without her conscience thought on the matter._

 _Finally, he came to a decision and said, "What's wrong with Nana?"_

* * *

Tsuna tensed automatically before relaxing, reminding herself that it was only Reborn and he deserved to know given his involvement in her life. Still… "What makes you say that?"

Reborn scowled, his fedora soon shadowing the expression, his flames curling dangerously at the supposed mocking when he was serious so she sent her soul-flames to soothe his own, ensuring him that wasn't her intention and her question was genuine. Slowly, his flames relaxed along with his body, "We talked about Vongola right in front of her, inferring to the mafia multiple times and she didn't even blink. She ignores gunshots, explosions and my other training methods with ease, never even commenting on them, and yet from what I've gathered phoenixes are supposed to be over-protective of their family. And her flame, it's…"

Tsuna sighed, it figured Reborn that pick up on that with how much time he spent around her. She did tend to use her flames a lot, even for expressing myself, so it made sense that Reborn had gotten better than most at sensing them. Tsuna reached for Reborn and pulled him into her arms, seeking some from of comfort, shifting subconsciously to her half phoenix form, "My mother wasn't always like this. When I was younger, she was sadder, true, but more in touch with reality. That changed, however, when the ninth and my sperm donor came to visit when I was five." Reborn's flames hesitantly seeked her own out and wrapped around them, not harmonising, but there all the same. It was something Tsunahime welcomed, "To understand how my mother was affected, you'll need some backstory. Phoenixes are sensitive to bonds, we rely on them to keep us grounded and safe. They are stories of some phoenixes going insane or simply fading due to the loss of bonds. Its one of the reason why we're so protective of them. Our greatest strength can also be our greatest weakness. When my mother fell in love with Iemitsu, she sealed her phoenix side away, believing him to be her Mate-"

"Mate?" Reborn interrupted, "As in…?"

Tsunahime smiled in weak amusement, "Yes, phoenixes can only take one Mate in their lifetime regardless of the other's lifespan. When my mother and Iemitsu got married, she swore herself to him in not only words but soul. She sealed her phoenix side away so she would die with him because phoenixes love deeply and my mother thought Iemitsu loved her the same way and she wouldn't be able to survive his death when she did outlive him. It was okay, at first, from what I've been able to gather but Iemitsu's 'work' pulled him away often and for a long time. Eventually, he stopped coming back at all. Mother, well she… she tried to hide it but I could see the effect it was having on her. She was slowly breaking. She tried her hardest to take care of me but Iemitsu's absence was affecting me as well."

Reborn's soul-flame flared in worry and Tsuna tighten her arms around his small form, "As a child, phoenixes usually have two bonds, one for the mother and the other for the father but Iemitsu wasn't there and so I never had a bond with him. It caused all sorts of problems when I was younger. I'd trip on my own feet or even the air, trying subconsciously to search for the bond. It even affected my learning ability."

"Are you okay now?" asked Reborn, soul-flames curling closer to her as his body did the same. Tsuna wondered if he was aware of what he was doing or not.

"Yes, I've gotten enough bonds to stabilise myself now." Tsuna shook her head, reminding herself what this conversation was about, "Anyway back to my mother. She was overjoyed when Iemitsu came back, if a little confused why he brought his boss. She was so happy, mother was literally bouncing for the entire day." Tsuna smiled in remembrance, "Until, at least, Iemitsu asked his boss to seal my soul-flames. I fell out of the tree due to my clumsiness and I used my soul-flames instinctively, like normal. I didn't see anything wrong with it at the time because my soul-flames are like a leg or an arm to me and while mother told me to be careful around strangers, Iemitsu was _family_." Tsuna laughed bitterly at both the word and her stupidity, "And the old man, I would come to know as the ninth, told me to call him grandpa. Apparently, accordingly to Iemitsu it was too dangerous for me to keep my soul-flames despite the fact I've had them my entire life and the ninth attempted to seal me without even caring about the consequences that would have on my life if I was a normal human like they thought."

Tsuna went silent for a while, thinking on the past event before continuing on once more, "Luckily, depending on how you view it, they attempted to seal me like a human and not like a phoenix so I was able to break it but the damage was already done. Mother saw what they attempted to do from the window. What her Mate attempted to do to their child. Phoenixes are beings of fire… to attempt to seal their soul-flames away… it's unthinkable to us and can kill us as easily as lack of oxygen can to a human. It threw mother's flames into discord I think."

"Was Nana trying to harmonise with Iemitsu's sky?" asked Reborn after a moment, processing what he had been told, knowing that harmonisation was the only way that flames could be thrown into discord. Discord only happened if either a sky or element rejected their bond for some reason (in this case it would be because of a betrayal) or an element tried to bond with a sky too strong without the sky's consent. Iemitsu's sky was too weak, however, for Nana to go into discord from the latter reason.

Tsunahime, however, shook her head, "I think that what happened to me translated into a betrayal to mother's Mate bond with Iemitsu and that's what did it. I'm not sure, to be honest. It's entirely possible she was trying to harmonise but I think Iemitsu's sky is too weak to hold a phoenix of any strength. I haven't been able to ask her. The discord threw out mother's sense of reality. She's just going through the motions now, not registering anything that doesn't fit within it. Even if Iemitsu was to come home now and stay with her till they both died I don't think mother will ever be the same again. She might get better but she'll never be 'fixed'. It's been too long."

Reborn sat, nestled within Tsuna's embrace as he processed what he had been told. Iemitsu, that idiota! And for that matter, the ninth as well! Any respect he had of the old mafia boss was gone. How could someone screw up that badly? Even if Nana was pretty much the same as a civilian now, surely Iemitsu or even Timoteo could have sensed her flames go into discord and done something about it! "I'm sorry." Why was he apologizing? It wasn't even anything to do with him but Reborn felt like he had to say something.

Tsuna was expected to lead the family whose head was partly responsible for the current situation Nana, _her own mother_ , was in. It was a miracle she didn't have a violent reaction to Reborn when he first showed up. He underestimated just how calm and level-headed Tsunahime could be in situations. At least Reborn found the reason why her files said she was timid and clumsy when he first came here. Obviously Iemitsu figured she'd be exactly the same as when she was _five years old_ for some reason and didn't bother doing reconnaissance to confirm it. Reborn didn't think his opinion of Iemitsu could get any lower.

He was, apparently, wrong.

The bambina shook her head, laying back down on her bed, bringing him with her, "It's not your fault besides I think I feel better now that I've talked about it." Her breathing soon evened out, and she fell asleep, exhausted both mentally and physically.

Well, Reborn thought to himself, he might as well sleep here with Tsuna's warm arms wrapped so securely around him. He won't be able to leave without waking her back up (he probably could if he wanted to up the effort in to do so, Reborn ignored the voice telling him that). It had nothing to do with the fact that he quite liked this position (despite being used as a glorified teddy bear) nor had it anything to do with the fact that his flames were wrapped within Tsuna's, almost cocooned really. And it certainly had nothing to do with the fact that Reborn was trying to reassure himself that Tsuna was _fine_ and her beautiful, strong, pure flames weren't sealed and therefore she wasn't in any danger of _dying_...

Reborn wasn't very good at lying to himself.

* * *

Tsuna stretched as she stepped out of her house only to stop when she came across Dino's men once again outside her house… And this time they had guns out. In fact they were cleaning them. Tsuna thought the Mafia was supposed to be sneaky. She was wrong, it seemed, "Why are you guys here?" Dino asked, behind her, eyes still half-lidded with sleep, "I didn't ask you to pick me up."

The men stopped in place looking at each other for a moment before stating, "No one's here to pick you up boss. We were just taking a stroll and ended to here." Well, there was no denying that Dino was loved by his men, strange clumsiness when they weren't there aside.

"Good morning, Juudaime!" Hayato shouted as he ran up to her, "I woke up too early so I was wondering around and ended up here." Tsuna smiled at her storm, eyes softening, he was saying exactly the same thing as Dino's men. "Anyway…" Hayato turned serious, a dangerous glint mixed with protectiveness in his eye, "Who are these guys?"

"Hey, smokin' bomb brat. It's our first time meeting, right?" interrupted Dino. This man really needed to learn some manners. Surely he could still pull off looking cool in front of his men if he still used them.

Hayato glanced at Dino's tattoo before tensing, retraining his need to push his sky behind him, recognising the mark, "Bucking Horse Dino…"

"Hey, Tsuna, Hayato!" came Takeshi voice as he wrapped his arms around both Hayato and Tsuna securely. The sword wielder smiled, closing his eyes, masterfully hiding his dangerously sharp gaze his eyes gained as he took in the unknown _armed_ men around his sky and fellow element, "What are you doing? We're going to be late!" Takeshi easily laughed and pulled the two away, not wanting the unknowns any closer to his family if possible. He didn't bother saying hello to the blonde man on his way.

Reborn watched all of this, hiding his smirk. That Takeshi was a good actor. If he didn't know better, Reborn would have him figured as a mere airhead, which was a testament to his skills. "That's Tsuna's family… A bunch of children…" Dino muttered beside him. Oh, how wrong he was.

"You sound concerned."

"Of course. After all, That is the family of my sworn sister…"

"What do you think about them? Usable?" asked Reborn despite knowing every single family member of Tsuna's were more than simply usable. It'd be good to see Dino's shocked expression. A mafia boss never stopped learning.

"Maybe. The most important thing in a family is trust. As long as I don't see that then I won't approve of them."

Reborn smirked, sensing Chaos, "Then why don't you test them?"

* * *

Tsunahime was walking to school, listening to Hayato tell them what he knew of Dino's Famiglia and his belief of not trusting anyone who was older than him (which was a lot of people given their kinds extended life spans) as a black car zoomed past her, grabbing her. Rushing past her elements on its way.

"Juudaime!"

"Tsuna!"

"They're the Yakuza called Momoyokai that controls the area around here." Reborn started, suddenly appearing behind them, "Yakuza is japanese mafia, you middle schoolers won't stand a chance. Leave it to the police." Both Takeshi and Hayato were about to refuse and rush off to save their sky until…

"Baby." growled Kyoya on the nearby roof. Everyone blinked, apart from Reborn, and looked up as Kyoya jumped down, landing smoothly on the pavement below, "Those herbivores don't control this area. Alpha does."

Hayato and Takeshi looked at each other in confusion. While Hibari seemed cold on the outside, it was clear to them that Kyoya cared a great deal about their sky. If he wasn't worried, and he'd been with Tsuna the longest then… Both boys looked into the direction the car raced off and blinked in surprise when they saw Tsuna dragging two men with her.

Reborn smirked, it seemed he was right when he thought that Tsuna won't let herself be bait without a fight. Tsuna huffed in annoyance when she was in hearing distance of the group, "Honestly, I know they didn't expect me to fight back but the openings they left were ridiculous." She dropped the two men. It also seemed he might have to tor-train Dino again if Tsuna was left with that impression. A mafia boss should never let his guard down and Dino should know that. Well, Reborn wouldn't mind giving that lesson again... He was kind when he wanted to be, after all...

"I… er… Wasn't expecting that…" Dino said lamely as he fell from her grip and got up. Tsuna desperately wanted to roll her eyes.

"Really?" she replied sarcastically instead, "You're lucky that I know that Yakuza group. They wouldn't dare attack my Own if Hayato and Takeshi did run off." Tsuna looked at Kyoya and smiled. The wolf blinked and tried to not look affected by it. He did not blush! A Hibari does not blush! "Thank you for taking care of them."

"Hn." the wolf acknowledged. Pack looked after pack.

"W-wait! I thought Reborn made that up?!" Dino shouted out in shock, Kyoya scowled at the blonde herbivore in annoyance.

This time Tsuna did roll her eyes, "And I thought you knew Reborn. If there's a chance to make Chaos, he'll do it."

"Reborn!" Dino whined, sounding like he had done it a thousand times before. Knowing Reborn, he probably did.

Reborn jumped and smacked Tsuna on the head as he landed on her shoulder, "You've ruined my fun." he stated with a smirk in his former student's direction.

Tsuna smiled, "I'll make it up to you."

After Dino apologised for nearly putting her Own in harm's way, he left. He should be glad that he didn't know what he was doing at the time or Tsuna would be more annoyed with him.

* * *

 **So what do you think? How was the situation with Nana? When I was first planning this story I first went with the idea of Nana dying from an assassin due to Iemitsu not setting up protection but thought against it later. I felt it was the 'easy' way to explain Tsuna less than kind attitude to Iemitsu rather than plain indifference due to not knowing the man or simple anger for attempting to seal her. If only Tsuna was affected I don't feel like she would hold as much as a grudge and she wasn't really affected (because the seal failed) apart from having her trust broken.**

 **Using the idea that Nana had seen Iemitsu isn't an uncommon idea (as I discovered after planning that part...) but it also gave me an opportunity to introduce some more phoenix culture. I also felt that the bonding Tsuna and Reborn went through in that conversation was essential. True, they only really talked about Nana but Tsuna opened up to Reborn about her private past. Tsuna could have just mentioned it was too personal to share but she didn't. For Reborn, it was realising that Tsuna was pretty strong emotionally (to be able to deal with that pretty much everyday for a decade would make anyone strong, add on to the fact that it was caused by her own father? Yeah, Tsuna needs a medal or something). It also makes Reborn realise that Tsuna could have died before he even had the chance to meet her.**

 **Reborn is a stubborn, prideful man. It'd take a lot for him on even let himself be comforted but realising something like that, when he had just began to realise that he may care for Tsuna in a different way than a student, pushed him to reassure himself. And you know what people say about the first step sometimes being the hardest...**

 **So, yes, not to much character progression but I felt like I'd have rushed the story too much if I didn't have chapters like this.**

 **Plus I felt that Tsuna's elements -Hayato especially- needed to see Tsuna take care of herself. Hence, why I edited out the scene with the Yakuza, which wouldn't have made much sense if I did keep it in there. I have already mentioned that everyone knows that Tsuna is 'under Hibari's' protection in the very first chapter. The Yakuza -while not supernatural- would have heard of the 'Demon of Namimori' as Kyoya wouldn't let anyone disturb the peace. Including Yakuza, so they'd make sure that they'd stay under the radar and not do anything to gain the ire of a Hibari. Like kidnapping someone declared under their protection.**

 **Anyway, thanks for reading and make sure to review! I love reading all your comments!**


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

Tsuna smiled as she watched Lambo, I-Pin and Futa, The Ranking Prince, play in the backyard. She had found the nine year old being chased by some Mafia (it was Reborn's fault that the Mafia was suddenly appearing out of nowhere, Tsuna knew, because she's never had a problem with them before apart from the odd assassin or two) and spirited the child away.

After offering protection (letting Kyoya as well as Tsuki know) and beating up the idiots that were chasing him, as well as hearing his story, he moved into the Sawada's household, sharing Lambo's and I-Pin's room as they were young enough to do so without it being awkward. Tsuna didn't have a problem with it because Futa didn't mind keeping an eye on the kids when needed. Still, she did have to wonder why the supernatural community was such a surprise to Reborn if a nine year old could _contact another planet to get rankings_ in the mafia.

Mafia logic would never make any sense to her.

* * *

This thought went through Tsunahime's mind again when she learnt that the mafia somehow owned an island that no civilians or anyone who wasn't apart of the mafia, really, were aware of.

She was, at least, glad that Reborn knew better than to trick her about the supposive 'resort' that her dear mother won in a raffle. If her mother was in anyway somehow involved Reborn knew to tell her the truth. More so now he knew the reason why Tsuna was so paranoid about protecting her. Knowing that she was indeed on the ship legally -or as legal as you can get in the mafia- allowed her to get some relaxation in. Though she avoided the swimming pool. Tsuna wasn't afraid of water but being a creature of fire meant that she went out of her way to avoid it if possible.

Reborn, of course, felt like he missed his daily amount of Chaos by telling Tsuna the truth. Until Tsuna reminded him that pretty much all mafiosos were all paranoid, trigger happy people by nature and pranking them should prove entertaining enough. She was right.

And then Tsuna met Connello.

Who also had a same pacifier -though in the colour blue- as Reborn's. And just like Reborn's, it was _sucking_ on his flames.

Tsuna desperately wanted to ask what they hell they were but had better tact than that. It was most likely a curse of some kind, though not one Tsuna had heard of. It made sense, Reborn wasn't a child in any universe despite his appearance and his act he put on for civilians (and was she actually calling normal people by 'civilians' now?) as he hadn't grown at all since he stayed with her. Connello was probably the same way.

That aside though, Reborn and Connello seemed to have a strange relationship. As in a relationship that consisted of bullets, insults and intent to maim. Still, they seemed to trust each other to some level because they weren't aiming to kill… which said something... maybe?

She was quite amused at the banter they threw at each other until Connello pointed to a whirlpool (of which she was pointedly ignoring until this point) and told her to jump in… Tsuna didn't even want to go into a swimming pool, why would she willingly go in there?

Tsuna stood there watching the waves crash into each other and back at the two non-infants. Connello seemed a bit annoyed by the lack of reaction but Reborn's growing smirk let her know that her utterly blank face was easily seen through by the hitman. If only because he knew her physical lack of reaction meant she was completely out of her depths and freaking out mentally, "Why?"

"You need to complete the training to use the amusement park, Kora!"

Tsuna blinked, "But I can use the amusement park. Reborn said he wanted to go see a friend so here I am." Tsuna smiled at the former military, though Reborn said comrade rather than friend, "Apparently, Reborn can't go anywhere without me anymore…" she shook her head in mock disappointment, even letting out a sigh.

Connello grinned, "I like you, Kora!"

At the same time, Reborn jumped and smacked her around the head, "Don't mock me, bambina!" Reborn was just about to abuse her more but an alarm went off instead. They were getting attacked…

"I'm never going to be bored again when I'm with you, am I?"

Reborn, Satan in disguise (though he was probably either the trainer of Satan or his creator because Tsuna didn't think even Satan enjoyed Chaos as much as Reborn), had the nerve to smirk at her as if she just gave him the kindest compliment she could think of. She probably had in weird Reborn logic.

Reborn's and Connello's pacifiers began glowing before he could give retort, "It should be someone we know, Kora!" said Connello, examining his pacifier. So their pacifiers glowed when others with the curse was around? Again, how was the supernatural world a shock to Reborn?

"Yeah, the only person to do something this stupid is Skull." responded Reborn.

Skull turned out to be the combat leader of the Carcassa Famiglia, the family that was attacking Mafia land. He also had an armored octopus that could change size at will… Tsunahime and Hayato (who had somehow figured that he needed to sneak into the resort to take care of her) didn't even need to get involved though. Reborn easily dealt with it, stating that she was on vacation and shouldn't be fighting.

Though Tsuna didn't really like how he treated Skull like an errand boy and easily distracted Reborn during the rest of the trip so Skull could get away. She wouldn't directly help as Skull did attack an island which had one of her elements on it and thus put him in danger even unknowingly but she did feel some sort of pity or sympathy for the 'lackey'.

Her vacation wasn't really what she'd call relaxing but it was definitely interesting to say the least.

* * *

Reborn frowned as he watched the bambina relax, a letter held within his hand. What did Timoteo think he was doing, sending a order like this? As far as the ninth knew, Tsuna was a civilian who had only recently been introduced to the Mafia. Sure, he been training her for about a year but wasn't enough time for her to be combat ready to defeat mafia criminals. Oh, Reborn knew she was more than ready but to the ninth's knowledge, Tsuna was a civilian with no previous combat knowledge and thus not ready.

"Reborn?" He blinked and realised his flames were reacting to his emotions. They were seeking Tsuna's out and had wrapped around them protectively as if he could protect her from the threat to come but he couldn't because this was Vongola Business... It made his flames want to lash out in anger.

Reborn gave a small sigh and jumped to the phoenix's shoulder after calming his flames (they were reacting to his emotions more often than they used to. Reborn thought it had something to do with spending so much time with Tsuna, who did it as instinctively as breathing), "Ninth has given out some orders."

"Oh?" Tsuna mused, head tilted. Reborn twitched, she had to be doing that on purpose! "What are they?"

"He wants you a capture a fugitive that has killed two famiglias."

Tsuna frowned faintly in thought, "And if I refuse?"

Reborn hesitated for a bare moment (which was more than he'd allow himself in any other situation, but this was Tsuna and any weakness he showed would never be used against him, she was too kind-hearted to do that), not at all happy with the order, "I'm to kill you."

Surprisingly, Tsuna laughed, though it was a bitter sound, "Are we sure he doesn't just want to hoard whatever power comes with being a mafia boss? I thought I was the last variable heir and he is getting late on in years from what you've said." Reborn paused, thinking on that line of thinking for what was probably too long as Reborn was pretty sure Tsuna meant it as a joke. But still the thought lingered in was mind. Tsuna smiled at the infant-man on her shoulder, "Besides I think we've gone too far in this relationship for you to simply kill me, right?" Reborn resolutely didn't answer and Tsuna merely taunted his flames playfully before carrying on, "What's this criminal's name?"

"Rokudo Mukuro."

Tsuna's flames suddenly rose and snapped in the air in fury, the exact opposite of it's playful nature a scant second ago, rage broke across her usual calm. "He is no criminal!" she hissed as if Reborn offended just gave her the greatest insult he could think of.

The hitman raised a curious eyebrow, "Bambina?" He watched as Tsuna took a deep breath and he can only wait with baited breath, the only thing that makes the bambina lose her temper that quickly is her family. Her Own. But that can't be possible. Rokudo was an experiment for the Estraneo Famiglia and after that he was taken into another family. Who he also slaughtered as he did with the Estraneo. Rokudo, to his knowledge, had never been to Japan.

Tsunahime smiled, apologetic at her outburst. Reborn paid it no mind. He had long ago realised it was instinct, the same way it was instinct for a guardian to take a hit for their sky. Still Tsuna offered no explanation for her sudden rage as she had already stood up and reaching for her phone. She made multiple texts, all at an impressive speed as her flames curled around her in some form of comfort.

Reborn doubted that they'll be 'capturing' this Rokudo Mukuro character tonight or anytime soon for that matter. That's perfectly fine with Reborn. He's still annoyed that the ninth thought he could order him, The World's Greatest Hitman, for something that wasn't even mentioned in the contract he accepted without even an 'if you please'. He might have respected the ninth (though that is pretty much non existent now after hearing about what he did to his bambina) but that didn't mean he was, nor has he never been, one of his lackeys. He was a freelancer and has been since he stepped foot in the mafia.

Ten minutes passed with Tsunahime pacing relentlessly. Her flames were searching for something, most likely Rokudo if he was indeed one of hers before the doorbell rang. Tsuna was at the door and opening it before the tone even stopped.

Tsunahime's elements: Hayato, Takeshi and Kyoya along with Ryohei Sasagawa were standing outside. Reborn didn't know Sasagawa and Tsuna knew each other but given the way his serious expression matched the others, they do (Reborn couldn't fully get rid the feeling that came with a different sun bonded with Tsuna's sky). They make for an intimidating sight, Reborn admits only to himself, well, for a bunch of teenagers. Give them a couple of years and they would have mastered the intimidating tactics with that start. With eyes full of steel and lips pressed in a thin line, weapons gleaming, it's like they're going to war. Maybe they are, Reborn thought, Tsuna hadn't really explained anything yet.

It said a lot that all Reborn did was jump onto Tsuna's shoulder, making sure Leon was in an easy to reach position before waiting for her to lead the way. He wasn't quite sure when he started to trust the bambina this much.

He didn't really mind though.

* * *

When they do arrive at their destination, it's to an abandoned amusement park. No one stopped to look around, Tsuna's shoulders are sure and steady as she led the way to a battered, ruined building. Two boys blocked their path. One had short, blonde hair and a large horizontal scar stretching from cheek to cheek, crossing the bridge of his nose. The boy was wearing a green Kokuyo Middle uniform. He looked quite feral in appearance, small canines poking out of his mouth when he moved it into a threatening snarl. The other was a dark haired, tall teenager wearing the same green Kokuyo Middle uniform, glasses, and a white beanie with a barcode on his left cheek, a bandage on his right cheek.

"Who are you?" The dark-haired one asks calmly, no, not calmly. His voice was almost monotone, thought Reborn, devoid of emotion. The feral one besides the boy, growls in threat which Kyoya gladly returned tenfold, Hayato scowling besides the wolf added to the threat.

Tsuna smiled, warm, welcoming and once again way too bright (and completely at odds with the dark, threatening posture her elements were showing off behind her) as she responded, "You must be Kakimoto Chikusa, so that means the blonde one besides you is Joshima Ken, correct? My fox has told me a lot about you." The boys looked startled at that before looking at each other and as something passed between them they look back at Tsuna.

The feral one -Joshima Ken- demanded, "You're Mukuro-sama's sky, byon?!"

"Yes. Mukuro has been silent for about two weeks though and I'm worried." Tsunahime frowned, physically showing her worry, before continuing, "Usually he tells me if he can't contact me and then I get a so-called order to capture him!" Tsuna hissed, still very much annoyed before she forced herself to calm down. She didn't want the other two to feel threatened. They belong to Mukuro and so they, in turn, belong to her. "May I see him?" Tsuna asked, Reborn was under the full impression that if they refused her, she'll barge on through anyway.

Luckily they didn't and everyone is led upstairs and into a large open room. There was a sofa with a boy, injured, laying on it. He was a fairly tall and slender teenager with dark blue hair, said hair is in an odd shape that resembles that of a pineapple. He had heterochromia, (Reborn could see them because the boy opened his eyes cautiously when he heard multiple people in the room, only to close them again when seeing Tsunahime, trusting her fully and without question) with his left eye blue, and his right eye red, showing… a kanji for the number 'six' in the middle? Reborn shook his head and reminded himself that Tsuna attracts the supernatural. The boy wore the same uniform as the other two, however the buttons of his green jacket were undone and underneath he wears a short-sleeved shirt with a misty design. He must be Rokudo Mukuro.

Tsuna (as well as Reborn, being on her shoulder) and Ryohei shot forward seeing the injured male. Ryohei was checking over the boy, using his flames, no one told Reborn that the boy was flame active, goddammit! Tsunahime stood at the foot of the sofa, her own flames cocooning Mukuro, the boy relaxing subconsciously. Hayato and Takeshi were watching over their sky with Kyoya prowling around the entrance of the room, keeping watch for enemies, his eyes flickering over to both Tsuna and Mukuro every so often. And was that a yellow bird nestled in the Prefect's hair? When did that happen?

No one spoke til Ryohei deemed Mukuro well enough to be moved and even then it was short and clipped at best. Someone had attacked their Own and no one was happy about it.

No, they were furious.

* * *

Reborn watched as everyone piled into Tsuna's home. Nana was luckily out visiting her friend's house. Ryohei was making use of his strength and had lifted Mukuro upstairs to the spare guest room. Tsuna motioned Mukuro's lackeys to follow her into the living room once Ryohei came back down. Once everyone was seated or at least comfortable, Tsuna began, cutting right into the heart of the matter, "What happened?"

"We were running from another famiglia trying to capture us when Mukuro took a bullet for us. It was poisoned." Chikusa stated.

"Poisoned? But that pineapple head is a full demon, isn't he? Shouldn't he have flushed it out by now?" Hayato asked. Takeshi's eyes sharpened in interest from beside the half-dog demon.

"We've been running for ages, hardly sleeping properly, byon. It's probably affecting Mukuro-sama's healing rate!" defended Ken angrily, not at them, but more at himself. No doubt, both boys were feeling guilty over their leader's injuries.

"That's extremely right. Mukuro will be sleeping for a day or two before being extremely well enough to wake up." confirmed Ryohei in his usual extreme fashion, luckily keeping his voice down because of Mukuro sleeping upstairs.

"Hn. Pathetic herbivore." Injected Kyoya with a scowl. Everyone politely ignored the way his flames were edged with worry.

"You shouldn't even by classed as criminals in the first place!" Tsunahime hissed, "I sorted that all out with Bermuda-chan." The sky sighed in annoyance, getting angry again won't help. At least not when she didn't have anyone to focus it on. She'd have to talk to Bermuda again and see if he can sort those Mafia thugs out. Tsunahime was unable to do it herself at the moment but that didn't mean she couldn't ask someone to do it for her or at least help her do it, "The Vongola at the very least knows you're here but I suppose I could spin a tale about capturing you."

"Lying to the ninth is dangerous." warned Reborn. While his Hyper Intuition wasn't as good as Tsuna's (and Reborn doubted anyone's would be as good as Tsuna's, never mind better) he still had it and was experienced in it. Reborn's contract stopped him from helping her with nearly anything to do with the Vongola and so he wouldn't be able to get her out of a sticky situation if the need called for it. Reborn was really starting to hate that contract.

Tsunahime frowned slightly then, thankfully, nodded and acknowledged the threat, "I assume you both are aware of the supernatural side." At their nods, she continued, "I can hide you away near the more supernatural side of town. I will claim I don't know where you've gone because I won't. I'll direct you to a friend who'll get you sorted out. You can come and visit anytime so long as you're careful about it. I'll also say I harmonised with Mukuro, which is true. Ninth boss of Vongola or not, he should know how protective skies are of their Own. That should work, right?" Tsuna looked towards Reborn for confirmation.

"As long as you word it carefully if he asks about it. Hopefully, he'll accept my report as truth and leave it be."

* * *

Reborn watched with interest as everyone seemed to close up ranks on their injured family member. Even Kyoya, who was irritable at the best of times, was pulling his weight and took both Ken and Chikusa to Tsuki who then directed them to their new safehouse, which Mukuro would also be using once he was better, before he returned to the house and started organising tighter patrols around the area just encase.

Lambo, I-Pin and Futa seemed to sense the mood and their usual mischief was put on a down low for the time being while they did little things to help tend to Mukuro. At all times, there was at least one guardian in the house watching over him, even if that meant missing sleep or school to do so.

Reborn approved. It was common for the elements to worry over their sky but most of the time fellow elements didn't care much for each other. This was mostly due to the sky not organising their time properly to make sure they weren't favoring one element over the other, not being able to mediate between their elements or simply because the elements' personalities were clashing with each other. While Tsuna's elements had many different personalities, it seemed that all the elements found at least one thing to bond with the other over and therefore had better relationships. They were like a real family. No, they were one.

Ryohei was an exorcist, according to Tsunahime (and he had no reason to think she was lying) which meant that while he was human, his body was stronger than average and he had more knowledge about the supernatural, being born into a family on exorcists. He was the doctor for Mukuro both because Tsuna trusted him and because he knew what would affect Mukuro positively or negatively.

Apparently, Ryohei's family of exorcists were pretty rare. Tsuna said most exorcists tended to believe that anything supernatural was evil and therefore needed to be hunted down. Ryohei's family, however, healed a Hibari about a century back and ever since they've lived in coexistence with the supernatural in Namimori. The Sasagawa family were apparently well-known for their healing skills, which was why Ryohei's sister was so against him fighting because it just wasn't something they did. Change was scary regardless of how insignificant it may seem to others.

Mukuro, by the way, was a fox. Oh but not a normal fox, Reborn thought in mild frustration, a _nogitsune_. Reborn would really like to know why Tsuna, who's sky is so pure that sometimes it's too bright to look at, manages to have such violent guardians under her. Not that he was complaining, though. If they could have a place in her sky then surely Reborn could too…

Reborn shook his head, no matter how dangerous that line of thinking was, he always went back to it. "Darling." Reborn blinked and looked at the mist that had finally awoken.

Tsuna sighed in fond exasperation before smiling at her mist, "Didn't I tell you not to call me that?"

The boy chuckled, or attempted to, but his throat was too dry from not having anything to drink in awhile and so it came out harsh instead, "Of course you have, darling." Tsuna's flames scanned over the fox while she grabbed the glass of water she had kept handy for the occasion and handed it to Mukuro. After carefully sipping at the water and sitting up with barely a wince, (Ryohei seemed to take after his family for healing regardless of his love for fighting) Mukuro looked at the not-infant besides his sky, "Oya, who's this?" he asked with a sharp smile.

Tsuna smiled with a small, abet nervous, laugh, mother-hens the lot of them, "This is Reborn, the one I told you about." The fox tilted his head curiously to continue to watch the hitman but otherwise didn't do anything.

"I didn't know you were in constant contact with him, bambina." stated Reborn with a silent question.

"Mukuro has the ability to enter a person's dreams if he has a connection to them. It how we first met, actually. It also why everyone seemed to know who Mukuro was despite not physically meeting. Once the others bonded with me, Mukuro can use that to go to their dreamscape and introduce himself." explained Tsunahime. "Most of the time he uses his ability to bug Kyoya though."

Reborn shot the bambina a dry look, "Are you ever going to bond with someone normal?"

"Normal is boring though. How are you supposed to get your daily Chaos with normal people?"

"Touche."

"Isn't this adorable? My darling has found a potential Mate!" Mukuro smirked at his sky as she blushed in mortification before getting ahold of herself.

"You are so lucky you're injured, I'd hurt you otherwise." threatened Tsuna with a glare.

It was pretty peaceful after that. Well… until Kyoya found out that Mukuro had woken up and had no problem attempting to bite the fox to death (unlike Tsuna) for making cloud look after him. After all, it wouldn't do to have the sly mist realise Kyoya was worried and looking after him.

Such a dysfunctional family, she had.

Tsunahime wouldn't replace them for the world.

* * *

 **So... I'm not completely happy with this chapter but needed to update. Originally, I forgot to put the mafia land part in and figured I could just leave it be and reference it later to make it clear that they did go but then I realised that in Canon it was the first time Canon!Tsuna met another (two, really) Acrobaleno. It was pretty big, really when I thought about it like that but by then I had already written the whole chapter and the chapter after... Plus with Tsuna's personally and circumstances she wouldn't be put in the majority of situations that covered the mafia land part in the anime or manga so I couldn't make it one full chapter on it's own. The pacing in this chapter may seem off because of that, if so I'm really sorry.**

 **Anyway, Mukuro and his gang has been introduced and he already knows Tsuna! He was the fox that Tsuna and Kyoya mentioned in the previous chapters. He didn't get much scene time on this chapter but I tried showing off his personality. He'll still by the sly, mostly insane, mist that we all know and love but he'll have a much more obvious caring side to him. This side only really shows in regards to Tsuna, and later, Chrome though. The slight change in personalty is because he knew Tsuna earlier than he did in Canon, while she couldn't help him physically being a child and in Japan at the time, she could still help support him mentally.**

 **And Family Fluff! Can't miss that! I really like writing in these little bits!**

 **We also have a little bit on the ninth and what Reborn thinks about him too. It was never really clear in Canon whether Reborn was apart of Vongola or just affiliated with them. I know Hayato in Canon said "Ninth's most trusted assassin" or something like that but they could have easily hired him and he became trustworthy that way. In my story he's a freelancer. Reborn isn't apart of any family but in exchange for the ability to call on Vongola's support and technology (things like that) he has to do certain missions and can't take a hit on anyone within the Vongola family (this doesn't include the allied families). Reborn, as I'm sure everyone is aware of, doesn't like anyone telling him want to do and ordering Reborn to do something that wasn't apart of his contract is the same as assuming that the ninth has power over Reborn. Something Reborn takes as arrogance, plain stupidity and a personal insult.**

 **I hope you all enjoyed the chapter! Due to how rushed I thought this chapter came out (and because I'm in the middle of doing my final major project) I will start updating once a week instead of every other day like I've been doing. I'm sorry to everyone who finds this annoying but from my experience its mostly considered normal to only update once a month so...**

 **Thanks for the reviews once more, I appreciate it a lot!**


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve

Tsunahime looked between Mukuro and the owl-child (who looked so, so _fragile_ and yet she desperately mustered the strength to stand) beside him. She blinked, "Did you find your long lost twin?" Tsuna asked. It was a valid question. The girl was short, slim, and rather petite. She had short purple hair in a pineapple-like shape (so similar to Mukuro's) and a violet left eye, her right eye was covered with a black eye patch with a chrome-colored skull, referencing her name. Despite the obvious injury, it didn't take anything away from the sweet, shy personality she seemed to embody by stance alone.

Mukuro chuckled that weird and creepy -even to her- laugh, "This is Chrome, may I keep her?" The girl, Chrome, shuffled closer to the fox's side. She glanced shyly at Tsuna, looking so hopeful at the request it broke the phoenix's heart. There was obviously a story to this one, a dark one, her hyper intuition whispered in the corners of her mind.

Mukuro's soul-flames are wrapped so firmly within and around Chrome's that it took even Tsuna a minute or two to tell them apart. It felt like Mukuro's soul-flames were supporting Chrome's soul-flames. From instinct alone, Tsuna sent her own soul-flames in investigate Chrome's. The girl stiffened, looking terrified before Mukuro mumbled something, too quiet for Tsuna to hear, and relaxed, complete faith in whatever Mukuro had said. Taking the reaction into account, Tsuna's soul-flames were only slowly approaching Chrome's, any movement made was within full view of Chrome. When her soul-flames were finally wrapped around Chrome's soul-flames, Tsunahime sent feeling of warmth, home, safety, making the owl relax even further -basking in the feelings- before using the harmony factor of her soul-flame to help Mukuro support Chrome. Chrome made a surprised sound before giving Tsunahime a shy smile that could melt even coldest heart.

No wonder Mukuro was so taken with her, Chrome was a gem, "Of course, so long as Chrome wishes to stay." Another surprised/shocked look passed over Chrome's face.

"I-I do." The girl, hesitantly responded when it was clear Tsuna was waiting for a verbal answer, voice a bare whisper.

Tsunahime smiled at the girl, who promptly blushed at the sight. Really, why was everyone so affected when she smiled? Still, while Tsuna was glad at the new addition to her family, she needed to know why such measures were needed. Surely Chrome had a parent to take care of her? My mind whispered what her heart didn't what to accept. That the shy, but oh so sweet, girl was abused. She didn't seem used to the show of kindness, of taking her opinion into account and looked very uncomfortable talking that went beyond shyness.

With her soul-flames wrapped around the owl, giving a sense of security, Tsuna called, "Chrome?" The girl lifted her eyes from the ground and looked at her for a mere second before returning her gaze to the floor in a nervous sort of fashion. Chrome gave a nod of acknowledgement. "Can you tell me where your parents are?"

Chrome immediately close in on herself. Shivering, as if cold, but the air was warm despite the colder season outside. Mukuro shifted, a frown threatening to overtake the sly smile he usually wore. " _She_ " Mukuro hissed, as if the word was a sin, "didn't want my dear Chrome, so I took her for myself." Tsuna really needed to talk to her family about their possessive nature, then again it was in most of their blood, being demons, (or in Takeshi's case) a bloodthirsty sword, it was only a matter of time before Ryohei jumped on the possessive bandwagon. Reborn was enough proof for Tsuna to show that humans could be just or possessive, if not more. She didn't know how anyone could be that possessive over a hat, sorry, _fedora_ … Honestly, Italians.

Anyway, Tsuna at least needed to make sure that everyone knew that, under normal circumstances, you couldn't just _take_ someone like you would an object. Mukuro, especially, needed to know that. He'd already taken Chikusa and Ken before Chrome. And they said she was the one with the habit of taking in strays. Mukuro just knew how to hide it better than her!

"And why didn't she want you, Chrome?" Tsuna was aware she was probably bringing up horrid memories for the girl but if Chrome had some special condition Tsuna needed to know about it so she could take care of Chrome properly. Chrome looked even more shook up at the question, her soul-flames cocooning around herself (pleading with Tsunahime to _stop_ because she was _scared_ and didn't want to be scared anymore). Tsuna got up from her seated position to kneel before the owl-child, "I need to know so I can take care of you, little Chrome."

Mukuro's soul-flames wrapped further (Tsunahime didn't know it was possible) around Chrome in silent comfort and Tsuna followed his example. It seemed the extra comfort was at least enough for Chrome to nod slowly once more as her body language began to open up. Tsuna was never more glad that demons (which was what Chrome was) had an instinctive connection to their soul-flames and, in turn, instinctively trusted those that their flames trusted.

She felt the girl shift and change, Mukuro's soul-flames tinted with curiosity, obviously this was the fox's first time seeing Chrome take on her more demonic appearance too. Violet eye seemed to turn sharp as if it was unfocused before and could now see properly. A purple wing (the same colour of Chrome's hair) burst forth from her back, except a second one did not follow the first. Chrome's right wing was _missing_.

She was one-winged.

As a bird-type creature herself, Tsuna felt the loss for Chrome. Sometimes, though it was very rare nowadays -due to medicine advancing- demons got born with deformities, similar to humans. Most parents didn't mind, it didn't make the child any less powerful than they would have been -though as a bird-type Chrome would never be able to fly- and children were precious regardless. Other parents, however, had different 'd believe the child less in a way, which was probably how Chrome's parents (or was it parent?) felt.

Chrome obviously felt the loss dearly, as any bird would, and let out a low whimper as if the sight physically hurt her. Well, Tsuna couldn't have that. She refused to let any of her family members, new or old, get hurt. Even if it was imaginary. Though this one clearly wasn't, observed Tsunahime, the emotional pain must rip at the small owl's heart. "You have such a pretty wing, little Chrome." Tsuna whispered affectionately.

"R-really?" Unadulted hope laced Chrome's voice. Chrome's mental age, despite being a full demon, was that of a more mature child instead of an adult as it should have been at her age. It was, most likely, one of the effects the abuse had on her.

"Really." Tsunahime nodded with a smile before turning to look at Mukuro, "Mukuro, your soul-flames are compatible with Chrome's?" she asked, though not really needing an answer. It was all there with how his flames were still securely wrapped up within Chrome's and he didn't even seem conscience of how his flames reacted with Chrome's. Mukuro was, of course, but most of the time unless the flame you were trying to connect to was a fellow element of their sky more thought was needed rather than instinct.

"Correct, darling."

"You could cast solid illusions on Chrome without side effects?"

Realisation dawned in her fox's heterochromia eyes, "Of course." he purred, looking at Chrome, probably going through all the ways he could make it work.

"Chrome? Mukuro wants to try something on you, is that alright?" Chrome looked, once again, shocked and surprised at the thought of her opinion being asked but got over it quicker than before and nodded silently. It wasn't by a lot, true, but it meant they was some hope for Chrome to settle into this new life of hers without being constantly skittish. It meant that she had a chance to heal properly. No doubt Mukuro would be a huge help with that matter.

Mukuro's flames solidified at Chrome's shoulder blade before stretching outwards, forming a wing shape. Once the flames died down and vanished, it revealed a owl wing identical to the real one on the left except this one was blue, the colour of Mukuro's hair instead of Chrome's purple. Tsuna didn't doubt that wasn't intentional. Mukuro was still possessive, even if it was in a more subtle way this time.

Chrome's face lit up and hesitantly stretched the new wing. Her smile widened when she actually could, moving her original wing in time with the new one. Her single eye watched the movement with childish wonder, Chrome seemed to have forgotten her audience in her excitement.

Tsuna coughed lightly, reluctantly breaking Chrome's moment and drawing her attention, "You feel like a mist, which is the same as Mukuro so in time you can learn how to make your own wing. Until then you'll need to ask Mukuro when you want your wing again, it's not permanent as when you go into your human form you lose your demon features so learning how to do it for yourself would be a boon." Tsuna paused and waited until Chrome nodded, happiness still shining in her single eye. Mukuro's soul-flames curled around the room like a pleased cat. Tsunahime shifted to her half-phoenix form, showing off her own pair of wings, "Until then, however, I shall teach you how to fly with them."

* * *

"I'm confused."

Tsuna raised an eyebrow, "Who died?" Reborn, already on her shoulder, wasted no time smacking her head in response. Tsuna took it with a cheeky smile. Reborn blamed that fox mist.

They were out on the backyard, Chrome was sitting a little bit away, practising her illusions with Hibird at her side (the bird Kyoya had found in that abandoned amusement park. The little thing had taken a liking to Chrome's shy and gentle nature) while Mukuro had baited Kyoya into a fight once more. Lambo, I-Pin and Futa was being fussed over by Tsuna's mother, inside. One of Mukuro's illusions covered the house so people wouldn't look in and question anything so Tsunahime was letting her wings out, quietly grooming them till they were shining with colour.

Tsuna gave an annoyed, fake sigh before questioning, "About what?"

Reborn hand twitched to hit the sky (not his, can never be his) around the head again but reframed and replied, "The mafia thinks that Mukuro and his lackeys are criminals but according to you, they're not."

Tsuna hummed lightly as she thought, absentmindedly making sure her wings were free of loose feathers and knots, "Well, technically they were classed as criminals when they killed the Estraneo Famiglia for experimenting on them. I already knew them at that point and so called the Vindice-"

"Wait, what?!" Tsuna blinked, looking at Reborn's shocked expression which was a shock to Tsuna. Since when did Reborn show emotions so openly? "You called the Vindice!? Are you insane? I didn't even know they had a phone!"

"I've told you Reborn, sane people are boring and anyone who lives in Namimori is automatically insane. And _of course_ they have a phone. Granted it took them awhile to know how to use it but they know what technology is." Tsuna had forgotten that the mafia didn't know about the supernatural, so in hindsight, the Vindice was probably scary. Well, the Vindice was more than a little creepy and more than simple serious about 'keeping the law', but anyone supernatural and in the know, knows that the Vindice throw the best Halloween parties. They have the best stories about stupid humans doing stupid things. Being in the mafia herself now, made Tsuna realise they weren't kidding about half of the things they said. "I'm pretty good friends with their leader, Bermuda-chan-" Reborn made an odd strangled noise in the back of his throat but Tsuna ignored it in favour for continuing, "- and once I told them about the situation and how it was an internal problem because Mukuro, Ken and Chikusa was born into the family, they agreed that they were in their rights to kill them. The Vindice pardoned them of their crimes."

Reborn desperately wanted to hit something. Who calls the leader of the law keepers of the mafia, _Bermuda-chan_?! How did she even become friends with someone like that? No, never mind that, Tsuna somehow changed the Vindice's mind about a criminal with a _single phone call_! Reborn inhaled and exhaled, trying to centre himself, "And the other famiglia?"

"The people that took them in found out Mukuro was harmonised with a sky. Even back then Mukuro was strong so they wanted to capture the sky who was strong enough to hold him." Tsunahime chuckled nervously, "Mukuro, of course, found out and decided that killing everyone in the family was a _needed_ measure in projecting his sky's identity. The Vindice agreed..." Tsuna looked at Reborn to get a measure of his reaction. As expected he looked pretty shocked, well as much as Reborn would let himself be outside of the Vindice bring the topic of discussion (did he think she was joking when she said her family were overprotective?) but was that a glint of respect in his eyes for Mukuro?!

Goddammit! Why was all of her family bloodthirsty mother-hens?! Even the Vindice was on Mukuro's side!

"How did you even meet the Vindice anyway?" Reborn asked.

"Oh! They throw the best halloween parties!"

"Parties…?" Reborn asked faintly, he was regretting asking.

Tsunahime smiled brightly at him, completely unaware of his thoughts, "Well, who better to throw a halloween party than the undead? Vampires especially love going from what I've heard. Free food from the prisoners and all that. I can invite you to one if you'd like."

"Bambina?" Tsuna turned to him, blinked innocently at him and tilted her head curiously, "Stop breaking reality." Reborn finished drily.

* * *

 **I had lots of fun writing this chapter. I introduced Chrome! I tried to stay true to her character but made it obvious that she was mostly shy because of the neglect she suffered at her mother's hands. I wanted to make it clear that Chrome was 'damaged' (if that's the right word) by her past. However, she will heal being with Tsuna and the other elements as they are all a lot closer to each other than in Canon.**

 **After the sad part with Chrome, don't get me wrong I love Chrome (she's adorable) but writing about abuse and leaving it like that would make for a very sad chapter (not that I'm undermining how much of a tragic subject it is, I just prefer fluff over angst like I have mentioned), so I had to put the part about the Vindice in there. It came to me as I was writing it and I didn't really plan for it but I will have too fun writing interactions between the Vindice and Tsuna now!**

 **A lot of you guys have commented on the fact that Reborn didn't react to the 'Mate' comment said by Mukuro in the previous chapter. He has heard it, and it will be mentioned later on in the story, but my image of this Reborn is a little more jaded than Canon!Reborn was shown to be. He was betrayed by Luce, his sky at the time and probably someone who he had more than a friendly interest in as some hints suggest. Reborn is sort of in denial and thoroughly trying to ignore things that suggest he has more feelings to Tsuna than he should have if she was just his student to him. He's not really succeeding in ignoring a lot of the things becasue he half wants to just do want he wants (which is pretty much claim Tsuna as his sky and, I suppose, 'Mate' if we go by the supernatural terminology I'm going to be using in this fic) or deny it all so he doesn't have the possibility of being betrayed again. The last time he was betrayed by a sky was when he was curse after all. Saying that, Reborn won't be in denial forever, don't worry.**

 **Thanks for reading and remember to review!**


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen

Tsunahime watched with a frown as her mother danced around the kitchen, preparing food like she was cooking to solve world hunger in a day. The dining table, and kitchen counters, was already covered by the food she had cooked yet she was still cooking. Nana cooked when she was happy, and the only thing that can made her this happy was… Tsuna sighed. "Tsu-nee, sad?" Lambo asked, peering up at her, worry in his eyes as they scanned her for a wound. He was absolutely adorable, even if he could be a right terror when he saw fit to throw a tantrum. On top of that, despite only being a child, Lambo was picking up on the rest of the family's protective nature, it probably didn't help that he grew up in a mafia environment.

Tsuna shook her head, forcing a smile, "Of course not! I'm just thinking is all." Lambo nodded, happy with the response before bouncing to the dinner table and waited for Tsuna's mother to sit down. Futa and I-Pin besides him, with glasses -thankfully- so she didn't attack Lambo. Tsuna's frown returned, she felt awful for lying to the cow-bull child like that but while he was her family, he was still young and she didn't want to worry Lambo over something like this. Reborn was already at the table, eating away, not bothering to wait for Nana. She wondered sometimes why he bothered to call himself a gentleman when he could easily abandon his manners like that. Though sometimes he did wait for everyone to sit down, really, Tsuna thought it probably depended on Reborn's mood whether he could bother being nice on that day. At least he could be nice and knew what manners were (she had a feeling that pretty much the entire mafia didn't) though perhaps that made it worse because he wasn't using them...

"Oh, there you are, Tsu-chan!" Tsuna's mother exclaimed, happily, waving her over, "Guess what?"

Tsunahime with held her need to sigh and smiled for her mother, already knowing what she was going to say but hoping for another response anyway, "What is it, mother?"

"Daddy's coming home after years away!" Nana couldn't sound more ecstatic if she tried.

"Oh?" Tsunahime answered, anymore than that and she wouldn't be able to be polite. Tsuna was at least glad that most of the people in this house was oblivious (being either children or _Nana -_ her mother deserved a special mention with the new meaning she gave the word 'oblivious') and the one who wasn't already knew she didn't like her 'father' and so she wouldn't ruin the pleasant atmosphere that her mother's happiness brought.

"Yep!" Nana answered, "Look, he even sent this!" She grabbed a piece of paper off to her side on the counter and showed it to Tsuna, nearly shaking in her excitement (no wonder she was cooking, Nana couldn't stay still). It was a postcard that showcased penguins and the north (or south, Tsuna couldn't tell which) pole. Anger and disgust built up in her gut the longer Tsunahime looked at it so she quickly handed it to Nana, thanking her. Builder, her arse! Tsuna knew what he did for a job but she had thought Iemitsu would at least have enough sense try and make it seem believable. How did he not suspect anything wrong with her mother when she never questioned any of his crappy excuses, Tsuna didn't know and she forced herself from that line of thinking because it suggested he did know (or at least suspected) but didn't do _anything_!

Reborn was a steady, comforting presence at dinner, keeping her calm even with Nana's chatter being full of Iemitsu. Every chance he got, Reborn would change the subject, talking about Tsuna's progress in tutoring, teasing her (though those two subjects pretty much went hand in hand) or talking about random things in general. Considering the World's Greatest Hitman could be pretty sneaky when he wanted to be, it was often. For that, Tsuna was grateful. However, even with Reborn's assistance, she was still emotionally exhausted by the end of it.

Reborn watched as Tsunahime collapsed into a heap on her bed, a small groan of irritation leaving her lips. "My apologies for tonight, Reborn." She wasn't the best conversationalist when she was trying to keep her anger from exploding.

Reborn jumped up to the bed, watching as, like normal, Tsuna shifted into her half-phoenix form. She claimed in was more comfortable to sleep in. Phoenix wings gave a small stretch before folding back. Reborn quite liked his bambina's half-phoenix form (though he had yet to see her full form), she was a lot more colourful this way. Reborn liked her human form as well, of course, but having only one colour (brown hair and eyes) didn't suit her as much as the mixture of brown base with red, orange and tiny bits of yellow highlights did. The warm colours matched her personality and it gave the appropriate image of fire, beautiful but deadly. Reborn ran his hand through her wings so soft (seriously it was almost unnerving that he knew those wings could be silky soft one moment and razor sharp the next, it was probably one of the reason why he was drawn to them. Despite how fragile they looked, they could be unyielding as steel), and smirked when he felt Tsuna shiver under his hand (he should _really_ stop, Reborn knew, but he didn't want to), the wings giving a small shudder. Tsuna relaxed to his ministrations.

"It's fine." And really it was. Reborn loved the idea of Tsuna relying on him like a sky would an element (no, no, no! Don't think about that!) and the sheer force of gratefulness that Tsunahime's flames radiated were like a balm for his bloodied, weary soul.

Tsuna gave an annoyed huff, trying desperately to not focus on the hand running through her feathers, "My thanks, then. Usually when mother gets like that I have to make up some excuse to leave and she always looked so sad when I do. It's… difficult when the person who is causing your family member so much pain is someone they love and count them as family. I can't react how I would normally do." Tsuna sighed, "And I have a feeling that Iemitsu will bring something annoying with him when he comes back."

"Hyper Intuition?" Reborn asked, withdrawing his hand, he hadn't been given any new information from Timoteo yet.

"I don't know. I can't tell if it's that or just my own feelings for him getting in the way."

"We'll find out once he comes then, besides you have your family to rely on either way."

Tsuna smiled, turning to look at the hitman, "We have our family, Reborn." She closed her eyes to sleep not a moment later, missing the shocked and hopeful ( _so very hopeful_ ) expression marring the hitman's face before he slipped into her arms and fell asleep as well.

* * *

"Oh, that's good for you." started Takeshi from beside her, "Finally, your father's coming back."

Tsunahime sighed, "In a way…" Iemitsu coming home did make her mother so happy, after all.

"Juudiame's father is alive…" Hayato mused at the other side of Tsuna. Tsunahime being in the middle of both her storm and rain. "The day he returns I shall go pay a visit!" he exclaimed, cheerfully, wanting to make a good impression on anyone who was close to his sky.

"Ah, that's okay. You don't need to see a guy like him…" Tsuna tried to calm Hayato down. She really didn't want any of her elements anywhere near the man if possible. At the same time, if she told them why she didn't like him, they'll be up in arms about it. They couldn't kill him. He was her mother's husband and Mate.

Takeshi laughed, eyes flickering from warm to sharp, picking up on his sky's almost depressed nature, "What do you mean, 'a guy like him'?"

Tsuna barely kept herself from wincing as Hayato, too, zoned in on her, a frown starting to appear on his face as well, "I just don't get on with him, I suppose." They continued to look at her, not believing such a weak reply.

It was silent for a moment til Takeshi sharp eyes turned back to warm and asked with a easygoing grin, "Hey, want to go hang out somewhere?" His sky didn't want to talk about it, so he wouldn't push. Not yet, anyway.

Hayato's face lit up, following the cursed sword wielder's thought process, "Nice going, sword-freak! Hey, Juudaime, let's do that!"

"Ah, but school…" Tsuna trailed off, not really wanting to go but if Reborn found out she skipped. Then again, he might let her get away with it, all things considered. Or he'll make her do three times as much for skipping. She was never quite sure with Reborn, he liked making things unpredictable on his best days and utter pandemonium during his worst.

"It's only preps today, right?" asked Takeshi.

"Yeah, and it's sunday everywhere else in the world. We need a break sometime." Added Hayato as Tsuna began to smile.

"Oh, since its sunday, let's invite everyone!" Takeshi laughed.

Tsuna smiled and nodded, more than happy with the plans and so started to text everyone, though she only texted Kyoya and her mists to let them know what was happening. They might come along but the carnivorous boy really didn't like crowds and her mists liked staying in the shadows until needed.

As she did this, Tsuna was completely unaware of Hayato and Takeshi exchanging grins with each other.

* * *

While Tsuna really did appreciate going out and having fun with her family, she didn't appreciate nearly getting knocked into by a boy falling from a building, she would have gotten hit if not for her quick relaxes. Said boy had short dirty blonde hair that covered most of his right eye and his eyes were blue. Though the hair was on fire (blue soul-flames, was that the dying will state Reborn was on about? Tsuna was glad she could control her flames perfectly well without needing to have a flaming forehead, even if -when in her phoenix form- her wings tended in catch fire instead, though it did look pretty cool) and the eyes were glowing too. The boy was wearing a black suit but it was worn and torn in places, in fact the boy looked pretty injured too.

The boy looked in Tsuna's direction, recognition soon shining in his eyes, "Thou art…" Tsuna blinked, 'thou art'... in this day and age… _Really_? Not even Bermuda used that old language and the vindice leader still sometimes used quills to fill out his paperwork. Why he would torment himself so, Tsuna didn't know, because it had to be harder to fill out with quills than using pens.

"Oh?" Reborn muttered from his place on her shoulder, a cup of coffee in his hand, which was a surprise for Tsuna as Reborn normally didn't buy coffee. He said the Japanese didn't make it up to his standards and so had to make one from his own coffee beans (or rather make her make him one), "What's he doing here?"

"Voi!" Tsuna looked up to the newcomer, the one Reborn was looking at, who was jumping down from the building the boy had fallen from, "What's this? Outsiders parading around. I'll slice up any trash that gets in my way!" The man had long straight, silver hair with pale blue eyes. They were sharp like Takeshi's. He wore a black trenchcoat, covering most of his body. On his left hand was a sword, it looked like it was attached to it strangely enough. Over all, the man's appearance was pretty wild and would be intimidating if not for the fact that she knew a lot of terrifying people. The supernatural world was abundant with them even if you tried to avoid fights or just the bad side in general.

The man was spiking his bloodlust like it was going out of style. It covered him like a cloak and put Tsunahime and her elements on edge. They all shifted slightly, coming in closer to her, preparing to either attack or defend. Leon near Reborn's hand, coffee long forgotten about. She sensed her cloud's flames running in her direction and her two mists hovering around, hidden by illusions. Takeshi's eyes were already sharp and fierce, the bamboo sword he always carried around, in his hand waiting to be used. Hayato looked a moment away from turning into his more demonic appearance, with Lambo hidden protectively behind him. The bull demon understanding the protective nature Hayato had taken as well as the seriousness of the situation, had gone quiet, eyes that were too aware for someone of his age were trained on the long haired man, ready to bolt if needed. Ryohei was in his usual boxing stance, hands almost glowing with nearly visible sun flames. The civilians (who were just minding their business, wanting to go shopping no doubt and didn't really deserve a death threat that would haunt them their whole life) had already left, running for their lives.

It was probably a sane decision based on how the man was swinging his sword around.

"My apologies, Lady Sawada." the boy got up from where he had fallen, "I have been followed." Why was he being followed in the first place? And _Lady Sawada_?! Only those in the supernatural world addressed her with such respect but none of them use her last name, either knowing the story that came with it or decided to follow everyone else's lead, "I have just found thee but already have I placed thee in such a dangerous situation."

Tsuna sighed, using her naturally calm disposition to her advantage, "Who are you?" And where did Reborn go? She was sure he was on her shoulder just a moment ago. The infant hitman had disappeared, though she could sense his flames close by which reassured her.

Instead of answering however, the boy tried to grab her. Not a good decision based on her elements being hyper-aware due to her being in potential danger. Hayato's hand locked around the boy's wrist, growling at him in a similar way Kyoya would have done and been proud of, as Takeshi's bamboo sword was placed at the boy's neck, "You didn't answer Tsuna's question." stated Takeshi in a deceivingly light voice, his usual smile looking disturbing when mixed with sharp eyes and his bloodlust leaking slightly. The boy looked like a rabbit placed in a room full of predators, he might have well have been.

Unfortunately, before he could answer (Tsuna really wanted to call him something other than 'the boy' in her mind) he was kicked away by the long-haired man. Hayato and Takeshi releashed him just in time to avoid being dragged in, "Voi! You, girl. How are you related to him? If you don't tell me, I'll slice you in two."

Tsuna raised an eyebrow, "You'll have better luck asking the boy you just kicked into a wall." Which was the truth, she had no idea who the boy was. It seemed, however, the man didn't believe her because he raised his sword (or was it arm?). The idiot obviously didn't know he was surrounded (or maybe he was confident of his ability it get out alive? Didn't make much sense to Tsuna as if the man didn't know who she was then he wouldn't know who the others were and of the very real threat they posed). Mists and cloud standing on the edge of her flames, watching him intently, ready to strike. Ryohei was with Lambo once Hayato moved to defend Tsuna with Takeshi.

Takeshi, however, seemed interested in the man, the bamboo covering had fallen away to reveal the hard steel underneath, resting lightly on the rain's shoulder. His smile had fallen away, "Hey, to even touch Tsuna you'll have to go through me."

The man glanced curiously at Takeshi's sword before giving a shark-like grin, "Let me tell you something. If you go against me, you'll die."

Takeshi returned the grin with his own, bloodlust coated him in its deadly embrace, "I'm a sword, I don't care about something as small as dying."

"Please don't!" The boy (when had he gotten up?) shouted, "This isn't a man thou can defeat!"

The two swordsmen ignored him choosing, instead, to charge at even other. They clashed, sparks flying off their swords. The man looked shocked, before his grin widened, "Your sword skills… who are you?"

Takeshi grinned, not even flinching when the other man's sword scratched him, drawing the slightest of blood, "I told you, a sword." Takeshi lashed out, his own sword drawing blood to repay the injury he had gotten. The man looked even more excited.

Tsuna watched with a slight smile on her lips, Takeshi was really enjoying himself. Both swordsmen were playing with each other, testing the others limits, it hadn't got serious yet despite the surface appearance.

The boy was saying something to her, something about his master and a box of rings -oh and his name was Basil (a herb, _really_?)-, Tsuna wasn't really paying attention. Her focus being on her family members, making sure none of them needed help, they didn't, most were just watching the free show provided until a whip forced the two men apart. Tsuna could feel her rain's flame curl in annoyance as well as the other's flame.

Dino, with one of his men behind him, showed up. Which was nice, he was her 'sworn brother' and she liked seeing him but his interference wasn't really needed. Besides it was rude to break up a fight when both opponents were so obviously enjoying it. Though it was rude on the supernatural side, perhaps it wasn't the same in the mafia, though she thought the mafia was pretty violent from what Reborn told her. Then again, it was a crime syndicate… Anyway, they had it under control… Controlled chaos was a saying for a reason, "Isn't it embarrassing being so rough on kids?"

The man looked surprised, "The bucking Horse?!"

"If you don't stop this distasteful game of yours, then I'll be your opponent."

The man sighed, annoyed, "I have no problem killing you but if I fight someone from an allied family the higher ups will nag me… For now I'll go quietly-" The man turned quickly grabbing Basil and throwing him away. He grabbed the box of rings the boy dropped when he went flying, "But I'll take this! Voi!"

Tsuna tilted her head as she watched the man run away (Basil was screaming something about vongola rings, was that the name of the rings he was talking about?) and wondered if she should give chase, "It's too dangerous to go after him." stated Reborn as he jumped back onto Tsunahime's shoulder. It was only because she was a phoenix and knew Reborn so well that she could feel the way his flames were edged with worry, checking her over as subtle as he could. Hers did the same. All her elements (even Kyoya and her two mists coming out of the shadows. She was quite surprised that her wolf could stop himself from charging in to fight the obvious carnivore because that man was strong. Perhaps he respected Takeshi claim on the fight? He was the one out of all her family that respected the unspoken rules of the supernatural side the most) came closer. Everyone's flames mixed, reassuring each other that everyone was okay.

Reborn, on his part, was silently cursing himself. He should have hidden straight away but he just responded to the threat to Tsuna's safety without thinking about who he was just about to shoot. He only just remembered that the contract he had stopped him from attacking anyone in the Vongola Family and that the man was technically Vongola. Luckily, it seemed that the man didn't really register him when he was so focused about going after the rings.

"Who was that man, Reborn?"

"Superbia Squalo, member of the Vongola Family." Well, that explains why Reborn hid himself, his contract, from what he told Tsunahime, prevented Reborn from attacking anyone within the Vongola family but member of the Vongola Family? Tsuna was under the impression that the Vongola family needed the last living heir (which was her) to carry on the family. Though it made sense that at least some didn't want a 'civilian' at the head of a mafia family.

Sirens were heard in the distance and from the sound of it, they were coming closer. Dino sighed and lifted the battered and bruised Basil, supporting the boy with his shoulder, muttering something about a hospital.

Tsunahime sighed, Iemitsu did bring something annoying home (her Hyper Intuition whispered his name into her head) but it might prove interesting. The family had been getting bored recently and when her family was bored, something always got destroyed. It was best to keep them occupied before the town was the thing that got destroyed.

* * *

 **Finally, the beginning of the Varia arc!**

 **And with this arc comes Iemitsu and all of his problems... As stated on my very first chapter (and if you somehow didn't see all the parts referring to Iemitsu in previous chapters) there will be Iemitsu bashing. I understand that some people don't like bashing in stories and prefer characters being more balanced and when I started planning this story I contemplated making a story that doesn't have Iemitsu bashing on the mere fact that a lot of stories bash that same person. Except when I thought back to all the things that Iemitsu did in Canon (telling Canon!Tsuna to 'man up' when Tsunayoshi finally got the courage to tell his father about the bullying, leaving his family for years for 'protection' yet doesn't bother to get Tsuna interested in any sort of self defence so he could protect himself before throwing** ** _Reborn_** **on him -and when he doesn't come back in Varia arc doesn't even bother straight up telling Tsuna about his involvement with the mafia. Seriously, does he expect the boy to open up to someone who's practically a stranger to him? I could go on but I think everyone gets the idea), needless to say I couldn't write him was a decent father in any way. I could have probably written him as someone Tsunahime doesn't really care for (being mostly indifferent) because of his lack of presence in her life but then I needed to think up a reason for Nana's behaviour, if only to a layer to the story, and Iemitsu was just** ** _there_** **to throw to the wolves, so to speak.**

 **Maybe I've been influenced by reading too many stories that have Iemitsu bashing in them but I found that I quite liked writing about how stupid Iemitsu is/was and it helped add more depth to Tsunahime's backstory and character.**

 **The ninth hasn't really been bashed yet as Tsuna doesn't know him personally just yet (though they have been hints here and there) along with the ninth generation. The Varia arc will help set Tsunahime's opinion of them. However, I don't think they will be as harshly judged as Iemitsu will be. Mostly because Tsunahime's hatred of Iemitsu has had time to fester for _years_. Saying that, they will be judged, I just haven't got around to write it yet. ****Of course, because I haven't actually written the chapter containing the ninth's and his generation's bashing, that could change. Sometimes my chapters like to write themselves. I'll get stuck a one point that was only supposed to be 500 words long and suddenly it's a whole chapter... Writers will know what I mean, I'm sure.**

 **Anyway, that's my rant (talk?) done. I hope you all enjoyed the chapter and I overjoyed that people who have reviewed my work actually like it! I'm not self-conscience or anything about my writing (if you don't like why bother reading it, after all) but I love people actually saying that they find enjoyment out of something I've created. And when I say it like that it seems deep for some reason...**

 **Anyway... once again, many thanks!**


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen

Tsunahime was silent as Dino and his men discussed Basil's health once they got him into a hospital bed. He wasn't going to die, so that was good. While Tsuna didn't really know the boy, she didn't want him to die, "Who is he anyway?" she asked within the lull of the conversation. She knew his name, of course, but not why he had such an interest in her, "Is he part of the Vongola family?" she guessed. It'd be one reason why a human would be so invested in her, despite not personally knowing her.

"No, he's not part of the Vongola family, but he is on your side." answered Dino. Was he being purposely vague? Tsuna sighed, she was going to need to pay a visit to Bat to get some proper information it looked like.

"And the rings that long haired man got? They must be important."

Reborn nodded, "Yeah, the proper name for the rings is the half Vongola rings. It's a treasure of the Vongola Family that's supposed to be stored in a safe place for about three years from now."

"So they are valuable in some way?" They had to be more than simply worth a lot of money though. That man seemed to be the type to really enjoy a fight and yet he willingly stopped (against Takeshi know she and and that man -based on his reaction- knew could put up a decent fight) so he could retrieve them.

"So valuable that they can't put a price tag on them." agreed Reborn with a nod, "But that's not all. In the long history of the Vongola it's unknown how much blood has been spilt for them. It's something historical, really."

Tsuna blinked, "I don't know whether to be impressed or stupefied that someone would go through all that trouble for some rings…" Humans, strange creatures, really. If it was so valuable, Tsuna would just lock it up somewhere safe and leave it there, instead of moving them for some reason. Or just destroy them. She'd probably destroy them, easier in the long run.

Dino smiled, "But guess what, Tsuna? I have it right here!" Dino grinned, looking very pleased with himself as he pulled out an identical box to the one that the man grabbed.

Reborn turned slightly in surprise while Tsuna sighed. This was going to be a lot of trouble, she could tell. "Wasn't the rings stolen?" she asked drily.

"Yep, but they were fakes, these are the reals ones. I came to Japan to give you this. A certain someone asked me to give you this." Since then did a mafia boss turn into an errand boy? And 'certain person'? That was Iemitsu, wasn't it? Her Hyper Intuition was practically screaming at her. Tsuna's life was so much easier when all she had to worry about was assassins, fights and over-protective family members. Then again, everyone's life was probably easier when they didn't have to worry about someone like Iemitsu.

"So Basil was a decoy?" He probably didn't even know about it either, given how he was reacting. Poor guy risked his life for a bunch of fake rings. A pointless reason to risk someone's life, in her opinion.

"Yes... You're taking this very calmly." commented Dino, his eyes seemed to scan her for the distress anyone should be feeling after being told a bunch of assassins would soon be after them.

Tsuna shrugged, "I can't really do anything about it at the moment so there's no point getting stressed over it."

* * *

Tsunahime sighed quietly, walking home with Reborn after saying goodbye to Dino, running through the current situation she had somehow gotten involved in within her mind. She turned to open the front gate but stopped at the sight of washing being hung out. This was pretty normal as her mother liked getting on top of the chores. What wasn't normal was the sheer amount that was drying (too much for Nana and herself) and the fact all of them were for a male. "So he's back…" Though her flames had already told her that, Tsuna was in denial to preserve her sanity. Still, she wondered why he brought so many clothes back. Did he not wash his clothes in Italy? Surely, he didn't need to create so much work for her mother when he could afford to get them washed (or, even better, do it himself).

"Bambina…?"

Tsuna curled her flame tightly around the small hitman's form, his flame responded back immediately, comforting her, "I'll be fine… at least I hope."

Sighing once more, she mentally tightened her control over her emotions and walked into her house -can't be home when he was there- only to watch Futa, Lambo and I-pin run up to her with grins on their faces. She smiled and went to greet them, only to stop once she caught scent of alcohol on their breath. They reeked of it.

Tsunahime frowned deeply, "Why are you holding this, Futa? This is sake." she took the bottle of sake and passed it to Reborn, who jumped away and put it back in the kitchen before coming back from the living room (which was connect to the kitchen) with a frown of disgust on his face.

Futa smiled, eyes unfocused and swaying slightly, "Wha~ No, Papan said it water… So drink~"

Tsuna sighed (which was quickly becoming a habit when it came to Iemitsu), tightening her control once more, "Guys, can you stay here for a second?"

"Wha? Why Tsu-nee?" questioned Lambo with a drunken giggle.

"Please?" she repeated and with a put out sigh they, thankfully, complied with her request... after she brided them with sweets later.

Tsunahime moved into the living room, curious about Reborn's expression and stopped, all emotion (even her calmness) draining from her face. The room was full of empty beer cans, dirty plates and even discarded clothes that was thrown haphazardly around. In the middle of all that chaos (and it wasn't the good kind either) slept her half naked sperm donor. "Pathetic." muttered Reborn in distaste, snapping Tsuna out of her thoughts. Not that she was actually thinking about anything though, the sight before her caused her mind to go completely blank of anything that was running through her head.

"It's worse than pathetic." Tsuna hissed, her control gone in a second at the sight she was met with, "He comes back after being away for years and expects my mother to wait on hand and foot for him while telling _my_ children to drink alcohol because its 'water'!?" Anything else she wished to stay as halted when she forcefully closed her mouth. Knowing that when she fully got started, she would found it difficult to stop. The seer nerve of this man!

In anger, Tsunahime picked up Reborn, placing him on her shoulder as gently as she could in her state before going back to Futa, Lambo and I-Pin. She placed Futa on her back while holding I-Pin and Lambo in her arms before going to Kyoya's house. His house was more like a mansion and so would have more than enough room for them. She had stayed over in the past and had some clothes there for emergency. As long as she promised to fight Kyoya and try to keep the children from annoying the wolf too badly she should be fine. Kyoya had a soft spot for small animals, after all.

* * *

Once she got the children settled in and sleeping, she asked Kyoya to come with her, to have a conversation with Reborn. It was too late to call the others unfortunately, so they'll just have to text or call them later, informing them of what has been discussed. Dino really only talked about the rings, and while that was helpful information however vague other bits were, Tsuna would also like to know more about the man -Squalo?- that attacked her and her Own.

"Superbi Squalo is a member of Vongola's so called ultimate independent assassination team." started Reborn, once they all got seated.

Kyoya perked up, "Herbivores trying to be carnivores?" he muttered, caught up in the idea that he would have someone strong to fight.

"The varia completed many missions successfully, but they are, ultimately, a group that works in the darkness. They should have never come out of the shadows."

Tsuna tilted her head, Reborn twitched, "I guessing something happened to change that then?" Because Squalo wasn't even bothering with the quiet, assassin-like approach (which considering he _was_ an assassin, he should be) waved his sword about like he did in the shopping mall.

Reborn nodded, "They started to lose control. Their leader staged a coup d'etat to overthrow the ninth and they were able to destroy most of Vongola's Headquarters before the ninth stopped the Varia leader. It was called the Cradle Affair."

Tsunahime was silent, thinking. She couldn't really blame the Varia staging a coup d'etat against the Vongola. The ninth was poor at making decisions, if she used his idea that deciding to seal an active sky was a _good idea_ as something of a guideline, "And the rings? No doubt they'll realise they're fake sooner or later."

"They were pretty well made so we probably have about ten days to prepare for them."

"Intruders." Kyoya growled, bristling at the mere thought.

"Think of it this way, Kyoya. Squalo looked pretty strong so maybe you'll have a worthy opponent."

"Hn." agreed the wolf demon, settling down for the time being though he was still planning to set up extra patrols around Namimori.

He would not accept anyone disturbing the peace.

* * *

Reborn was on Tsuna's shoulder once more, she was humming lightly under her breath as she led him through multiple alleyways. If Reborn wasn't, well, _Reborn_ he would have lost track of where they were by now. All the pathways looked the same to him (though it was probably designed that way) and when Tsuna led him to new -supernatural- places Reborn often found himself wondering why Namimori looked so small on the outside. It was strange, he decided. On the surface, Namimori was pretty simple -if holding a little strange (read: insane) populace- but underneath that, they were so many layers. Namimori looked small, but it had to be big in order hold another community within. True, Tsuna said the supernatural were spread out all over the world but from what he gathered the supernatural population in the town wasn't exactly small and a lot of them needed special requirements (blood banks, being nocturnal, eating things on the rarer side -aka alive, some not eating anything at all, ect.) to be met in order to survive properly.

If he tried to investigate by himself, Reborn knew he'd get lost easily and while that thought didn't bother him so much, apart from the obvious reasons, according to Tsuna's weekly 'Supernatural customs lessons' not all of the people living in the town were apart the 'friendly' sort. While, Reborn didn't expect them to be so (the _Vindice_ were part of the supernatural, enough said), some apparently took the approach of 'eat arm or other body part first, ask questions later -if at all'. It was one of the main duties the Hibaris took, making sure those types were kept under control.

The hitman was more than a little disturbed by this and asked how to identify said creatures from the less violent ones. Tsuna responded by saying that those types didn't have much control over their bloodlust, appearance and were, most of the time, mindless -replying on instinct to guide them to their next meal- which was quite reassuring. She also went on to say that Reborn wouldn't need to worry about that as much as the average person because she had claimed them anyway. He and the rest of her family (Reborn still tried to ignore the way she included him within that group without a moment's hesitation, it was getting harder) had been around her flames so often that they had left a mark of sorts. Of course the others were easier to 'see' for the supernatural because she had harmonised with them but Tsuna had spent enough time with Reborn to leave a mark regardless (Reborn also tried to ignore how his heart whispered to him that the bambina had indirectly said she had left a mark on his flame claiming him as her Own despite not harmonising, he failed). These marks told most supernatural that they were off limits and because the mark was left by a phoenix no one would try anything. Well, at least the ones not suicidal.

"Where are we going, bambina?" Tsuna had only said that she was going to meet a friend before letting Reborn know he could come along if he wanted. Honestly, Reborn thought she'd be more interested in preparing for the Varia but apart from her elements' more serious and alert expressions they didn't seem to be doing much different from usual. Granted, they all trained at every moment they got (some more than others...) but Reborn felt like something special was needed to mark the occasion. He could always call in a few favours later, Reborn supposed.

Tsuna and so Reborn were trying to ignore Iemitsu's presence for as long as possible.

"The Varia are coming to attack so I thought some more information would be beneficial." The phoenix replied.

Reborn blinked, "Your mysterious informant."

Tsuna chuckled, "She isn't mysterious, I just haven't had the excuse to introduce you. She can be quite serious about her work." Tsuna then frowned thoughtfully, "That being said, I need to ask you to be as respectful as you can while in her presence."

"I'm always respectful." was the shot back reply.

Tsunahime gave the hitman a look, "I'm sure." she stated drily, "I mean it though, Reborn. She is one of the oldest and wisest demons in Namimori which grants her a lot of respect. She's earned that respect and deserves to be given it. Respect is a massive thing in our world. I've known some kill over a supposive slight against them and while I sincerely doubt she would do such a thing, it doesn't hurt to be careful."

"You haven't told me this before." He pointed out, though Tsuna heard his unspoken agreement in the way that he didn't refuse, though she did mention something similar in her lessons, he didn't think to ask. He didn't realise that his aggressive nature the first time he met Tsuki could he counted as disrespect (which it sort of was, but he wasn't aware at that time that he wouldn't be able to shoot Tsuki in the head as easily as he could any other human) until Tsuna put it like that. This is why he liked knowing things! The World's Greatest Hitman couldn't make mistakes like that unknowingly!

Tsuna nodded, "Tsuki and the others are completely loyal to me. You being with me spoke for your character so if you did insult them they wouldn't have attacked. Most in the arena are pretty laid back though. They came to see, or participate in fights so they don't mind manners so long as you don't knowingly insult them."

"And is this informant disloyal?"

"Think of her as a freelancer like you. She doesn't belong to any family but may hold better relations to some than others. I've known her for awhile so I think she's as trustworthy as someone is going to get when looking out for their own goals." Reborn tipped his fedora to shadow his eyes, interest spiked.

"Ah, we're here." announced Tsunahime.

* * *

 **So this Chapter is mainly building up to the Varia and the ring battles. I thought it'd be pretty interesting for Tsuna to have her own contacts and use them to make sure she was as prepared as she was going to get. Dino was really vague in the manga (which is what I'm using as referance) with the whole Basil thing. I know it was so people could get the surprise of Iemitsu's involvement but realistically if your 'brother' was just attacked by assassins you'd probably give him more to work with than 'he's on your side' in order to make Canon!Tsuna trust him. Thankfully (or not depending on point of view) Tsuna was very trusting in Canon so it wasn't really a probably but my Tsunahime would try and get as much information as she could given her family's involvement. This chapter also helped to expand on the supernatural world and how the town works slightly.**

 **Iemitsu is here! Something that Tsunahime and Reborn aren't very happy with and his impression (giving the children sake, and the complete mess he left behind) hasn't helped their image of him at all. Especially with the sake, given Tsuna's phoenix nature. It wasn't a confrontation though. As stated in the other chapters, Iemitsu is different from most of the people Tsuna dislikes with the connection Iemitsu has with Nana, this makes it difficult for her to react in any way without fearing she could upset her mother. Tsunahime was so angry/annoyed that she mostly thought of a way it get out of the house, taking the children out of his way. Don't worry though, she won't leave it there!**

 **Anyway, thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed it!**


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen

 _"Think of her as a freelancer like you. She doesn't belong to any family but may hold better relations to some than others. I've known her for awhile so I think she's trustworthy as someone is going to get when looking out for their own goals." Reborn tipped his fedora to shadow his eyes, interest spiked._

 _"Ah, we're here." announced Tsunahime._

* * *

The building didn't look very impressive. It looked as dirty and shady as the rest of others in the alleyway. So overall, Reborn approved. The new generation (and the last to some extent) seemed to get it in their head that the flashier something was the better it was. And, in some cases, that was true. If your famiglia's base was in a rich area then it needed to look equally rich to blend in correctly. The opposite was also true if it was in a poorer area. From what he's seen, the supernatural seemed to understand this concept. But then again, they've probably been around longer than the mafia and so probably knew what they were doing.

When the bambina entered the building, Reborn was relieved to see that it wasn't dirty or damp like some people try to do (Reborn will forever hate the movies that made that a cliche and somehow made it acceptable to do). While it wasn't brilliantly lit, there was enough light to see other people clearly when needed and the building smelt clean. It was clear the building wasn't abandoned but there wasn't anything to suggest that anyone was conducting business that was out of the ordinary.

Tsunahime led him up a plain brown door on the first floor and knocked. "Enter." The voice was dull, almost bored. It was difficult to tell whether the speak was male or female from the voice alone but that might've been due to the bland tone it had taken. Opening the door revealed a spacious, if a little bare, room. A low hanging chandelier was the only source of light with the window curtains closed, keeping natural light out. Two sofas, grey in colour, sat opposite each other with a dark wood coffee table between them. They looked clean and well taken care of. One of them was also occupied.

Sat in the middle of the sofa was a dark-skinned woman (though she didn't have many curves or bust to suggest as such, having a more androgynous figure) dressed in a simple and plain light grey kimono. She had short, straight light blue hair, barely reaching the nape of her neck. It was probably natural judging by her blue eyebrows and roots. Her fringe was parted to the left and some of it to fall between her eyes. The deep red bandanna was slightly covered by some of the hair it didn't hold back. Her most notable features were her long ears pointing outwards, her left ear was studded with a dark blue hanging gem, and her half-lidded white, blind eyes. Reborn could still make out where her slitted irises were but they were unfocused. Though, at the same time, her eyes still appeared sharp if he discounted the clearly white and blind irises. The woman's expression had yet to change and seemed stuck in permanent disinterest. Despite being one of the oldest demons in Namimori, according to Tsuna, she looked younger than Tsuki. She appeared to be in her early adulthood, maybe nineteen years old.

Tsuna smiled at the woman, easily taking her place on the empty sofa. Reborn jumped from her shoulder and sat down next to her instead, "Good morning, Bat. This is Reborn, my tutor." Tsuna waited for the silent nod of acknowledgement before carrying on, "Reborn, this is Bat, my informant." Reborn nodded to the woman (what kind of name was _Bat_?) in greeting. "I'm here for some information."

Bat nodded, "You wouldn't be here for anything else." she intoned apathetically before offering, "You want information to the assassination group known as The Varia." Reborn masked his surprise with ease. He was certain Tsuna didn't call ahead and he wondered how the woman knew. Perhaps she had heard of their confrontation with one of its members and investigated. But to do that within a day was more than impressive, he'd willingly admit. She was probably better than Viper was at gathering information but given the fact that she's probably a lot older than she looked (and therefore older than Viper), perhaps it was expected.

Tsuna hummed lightly in agreement, "That's correct. It'd be more accurate to say I want information on the top Varia members; the officers of the group as well as their leader. Focused on their fighting ability if possible."

Bat was silent for a moment, seemingly observing (a gesture made pointless, being blind) Tsunahime before nodding once, her expression never changing, "The leader and his five officers are bonded as sky and elements. The leader, a wrath sky, is called Xanxus. He was imprisoned in ice, after the cradle affair event, staying encased within it for eight years. Recently, his elements broke him free. He is twenty four years old though looks eighteen due to the ice. His fighting skills are unknown due to the inference with the ice. While he was strong before being imprisoned, his skills have most likely deteriorated after not being able to move his body for eight years. Favours his twin guns in combat. Can use hand-to-hand if needed."

"Imprisoned in ice?" Tsuna asked, unable to keep the disbelief (Reborn wondered why she was surprised about someone being frozen, she was a being of fire and lived in a world of all thing supernatural) and shock out of her voice.

It was Reborn who answered, however, "Zero Point Breakthrough: First Edition. It's a technique that the Primo created that the ninth can also use. It seals away dying will flame and can only be melted by strong dying will flames."

Tsuna frowned in thought, to be able to use his flames to make ice, the opposite of fire, was impressive and disturbing. However, why the ninth went so far as to imprison as own son in ice instead of killing him, Tsunahime didn't know. It was probably more painfully to be stuck in ice with your flames sealed (Tsuna shivered at the mere thought) than being killed. It sounded needlessly cruel to her, even if the man didn't want to kill his son out of some misguided mercy.

"Correct." Bat comfirmed, "The Varia's second-in-command is called Superbia Squalo. Hot-headed and violent despite his rain flame. He is, however, perceptive. Able to see through most illusions. He defeated the previous Varia boss, Tyr, with his swordsmanship. As a result he earned the title Sword Emperor from him. The sun, Lussuria, is a martial artist. Favours Muay Thai. Has a metal left knee he uses in combat. Able to use the healing factor of his flames. The lightning, Leviathan, uses bladed parabolas as his weapon of choice. Capable of discharging electricity through them. Extremely loyal to his leader to the point he'll get jealous of anyone who may be better suited to be a lightning guardian. The storm, Belphegor, uses knifes and wires. Known as a battle genius. His skills seem to improve drastically if he sees his blood. The mist, Mammon, uses illusions. Looks down on mists who uses physical ability during combat. Able to find anyone by sneezing on a piece of paper. His frog turns into an ouroboros, granting the ability to fly. Also known as Viper of the Arcobaleno."

"Viper?" Reborn muttered, somewhat shocked. He'd heard some rumors about that but it was never confirmed. Most of the Arcobaleno thought the miser was dead due to the lack of contact. Viper was an information broker so it made sense that he could destroy information just as easily. He disappeared when the curse hit them. Viper had took it hard (though all of them had) and last Reborn had seen of the mist was him obsessively researching anything to do with the curse. Bat nodded in confirmation.

"And the cloud?" probed Tsuna when Bat didn't continue.

She shook her head, "Cloud unknown. Xanxus has not bonded with one."

"Kyoya's not going to be happy, he wanted to fight another cloud." Tsunahime muttered, slightly amused. Bat held out her hand, a silent demand for payment. Tsuna chuckled and nodded before turning to Reborn, "Do you mind if you wait outside one moment while I get the payment together?"

The hitman raised an eyebrow, considering before slowly nodding, it was probably something to do with supernatural customs. He got up and went to the door, shutting it close behind him.

Tsuna turned back to Bat, "So what do you think?"

Bat blinked, a pointless action due to her blindness before nodding, "Possible. Unsure, need more time."

The mafia boss-to-be broke out into a grin (that wasn't a negative after all) and nodded, "Keep me updated whenever possible then." she reached into her pocket and brought out two feathers, both coming from her own wings, and a vial. The vial held a liquid, which was glowing a soft yellow. She delicately held them within her hands before passing it to the demon. The woman accepted it without a word. "Thank you." Tsuna said, heartfelt and sincere. The girl turned on her heel, not waiting for a reply and walked out of the room, meeting Reborn in the hallway.

* * *

He waited till his bambina was navigating the alleyways once more before speaking, "She was… unusual." If he was being honest to himself, he'd say Bat's complete lack of emotion was disturbing. While he could do the same (though he didn't do it often when in Tsuna's presence, he realised), it was more because emotion could be used as a weakness and he liked his professionalism (as well as trolling people and generally causing as much Chaos as possible). Bat's indifference, on the other hand, was different. He couldn't put his finger on it, but it was like she was tired, but not at the same time.

Tsuna laughed slightly at Reborn's almost hesitance with his wording (obviously not knowing enough to fully put his feelings into words) before sobering, "Like I said, Bat is old despite her physical appearance. She must have met a lot of people and lost a lot of people. While it might seem like our extended lives are a blessing to humans, its a curse to those who don't have anyone to spend it with." It's one of the reasons most supernatural preferred not to get very close to humans. It _hurt_ to lose the people you care about. Still, they were some out there who believed themselves superior to humans because of their extended lives and strengthened body. "There isn't anyone who can remember Bat's real name anymore and she's never told anyone since so most started to call her Bat because she is a bat demon."

Reborn tightened his hold on Tsuna from her shoulder, his arm resting across her neck. He hadn't thought about it (tried to avoid thinking about it really) but the curse he bore had been slowly taking more of his energy over the past few years. He'd eventually have to leave Tsuna, even though his curse granted a sort of immortality (he could die but couldn't get old), it would take all his energy and leave him dead once he ran dry. Reborn didn't want to leave Tsunahime. He knew that, his very being ached something terrible when he merely thought about it.

He wanted to be selfish and keep her for himself. Reborn wasn't very good at lying to himself, despite how often he tried to recently. He didn't know if it was love, but it was probably close considering how she affected him. It was selfish of him. Even if he was to say something, he was stuck in the body of a one year old. Sure, she was supernatural and had probably seen a lot of crazy, strange things but he was pretty sure having an actual relationship with a one year old baby, regardless of his mental age, was one step too far. And even if the curse was broken somehow, he would grow old while Tsuna lived on.

So, why? Why was he still hoping for something that couldn't happen?

It wasn't like him, this… attachment. He had taken lovers in the past when he was in his adult body, sure, but he never gotten this committed to them. Sometimes he felt fond of them, perhaps, but it was more like a fondness someone would have for a stray cat or dog you fed on occasion. You cared for them but didn't feel overly affected when they left. That sounded worse than it actually was, however. As a hitman, he couldn't form many relationships as each could be used against him so he made sure not to. The only real relationships he had anymore was with those that he knew could take care of themselves and wouldn't need Reborn's help unless it was truly serious, then he would offer it as he protected what he claimed as his ferociously.

Reborn couldn't understand where this feeling had come from. They hadn't done anything that wasn't platonic (not like he could if he wanted to) but he felt closer to Tsuna than he remembered being to anyone. Her flames might have had apart in this. They were what made him pay attention to Tsunahime in a way that wasn't as his student but apart that they didn't do much more. It was her personality that made them as warm and welcoming as they were, after all.

And, really, thinking about her personality instead of a more physical aspect? Tsuna was making him sentimental (and he loved it even if he'd ever admit to it).

His 'interest' in his student hadn't gone unnoticed either. Mukuro mentioned something about a 'Mate' (though he could've done without the 'darling' nickname the mist seemed to have for his bambina, he really didn't like the mist's nicknames for _his_ bambina) when the fox first woke up and given what Tsuna said about Mates, it was what the supernatural world called a romantic relationship (though it was probably stronger than that). Reborn had to wonder just how perceptive Mukuro was to be able to make a comment like that after only being awake for less than ten minutes. Though maybe he got a hint from the dream talks he had with the sky, Reborn wondered what Tsuna said which caused the fox to think like that (which also led him to wonder if this… attachment he had wasn't all that one sided, though Tsuna hadn't given many, or any, clues to suggest as such. Maybe she had and being human -not well versed in supernatural customs even with Tsuna's lessons was while they were helpful they didn't really cover this sort of thing- he missed them? He'd make a point to ask one of her elements if the opportunity ever came up). He also wondered if the rest of Tsunahime's family was as perceptive as Mukuro. Reborn didn't know what to think if they were because they were all ridiculously protective (even if he quite liked their protective attitude when it came to Tsuna as it meant she was safer).

He watched out of the corner of his eye as Tsuna began humming under her breath as she was sometimes want to do, the sound making him relax almost instantly, like a drug. It was a drug he knew he should stop taking but he didn't want to. Reborn was never good at denying himself and he wanted to be selfish even if he knew he shouldn't.

Well, his mind whispered, he was mafia and they weren't very moral to begin with, being selfish wasn't one of the worst things he has done in his lifetime, far from it.

* * *

 **And that's a wrap!**

 **I've introduced a new OC, Bat, to the story. She was the one who gave information about the Vongola (and the maifa in general) to Tsunahime when she found the assassin mentioned in Chapter 2, as well as the to give more information about Lambo. When I first mentioned/hinted at an informant some of one guessed that it would be an actual canon character. By the time I uploaded that chapter I had already planned and created Bat's character and I didn't even think about adding one of the side characters in to do a bigger role. I sort of wished I did, that would have been an amazing idea but I quite like Bat too. I have plans for Bat... Mwhahahaha *cough***

 **Anyway...**

 **Reborn has finally decided to confront his feelings and accept them! Yay for Reborn! However while he has accepted and realised his feelings for his student he won't be acting on them (not openly, at least) for a while. I plan on him to finally get the balls to ask Tsunahime and act on them at the end of the Varia arc though so it won't be forever, thankfully.**

 **It's actually taking me a while to finish the Varia arc though (longer than I thought it would to be honest) because of the ring battles. I love reading them in the manga but writing them can get a little repetitive to say the least given they all follow a similar pattern. I'm currently in the middle of writing the mist battle though so I'm slowly getting through it. Unfortunately, I'm keeping my current updating pace. This is mainly due to the fact that sometimes I lose interest in writing for a week or two and don't want to rush through anything trying to get a update out by being a couple of chapters ahead.**

 **Thanks for reading and reviewing!**


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter Sixteen

Tsunahime nearly stormed over to her 'father' once she realised he had somehow given _Lambo_ a vongola ring when she got back from going to see Bat with Reborn. She knew and accepted the fact that she would have to fight the Varia, though she didn't know why the rings made someone eligible to become the heir by merely wearing them as it sounded pretty strange to her, but Lambo was a _child_. A precious child of only five years old. Tsuna did not care that Lambo had technically been mafioso all his life and was a demon (and therefore stronger than any human child could be at his age), in no world did she think it was okay to make a child fight a battle for her.

Unfortunately, she couldn't just leave the ring without an owner, according to Reborn. Fortunately, Tsuna knew someone who had lightning flames and probably wouldn't mind fighting for her. It would only be temporarily, because she wasn't bonded with her but apparently an exception could be made if the bonded guardian (the mafia was really fond of called their elements guardians and rarely ever called them something else. Tsuna was glad Reborn gotten the hint that she avoided called her Own guardians and did so in turn) wasn't physically capable of fighting for their sky but they had someone willing to watch over the ring in the meantime. Luckily, the person was more than willing to agree once Tsuna explained what was going on.

While Lambo could technically fight, he wasn't yet old enough (in human years of maturity, because if she sat Lambo down he probably could get a simplified idea, but Tsuna was more than willing to take advantage of this misunderstanding) to understand the severity of the situation.

The rest of her bonded elements (Tsuna wasn't really fond of using the term 'guardian' as she didn't need protecting, thank you very much) got their rings too. They all understood the meaning of them and had taken to wearing them everywhere, hidden beneath their shirts or tops. They all liked the idea of having physical proof of belonging under her sky. Probably because it also meant, to their possessiveness, that she belonged to them as well, not that Tsuna minded, of course. In her family, everyone was equal (though they tended to put her above them sometimes, much to her dismay and frustration).

Though, Tsuna didn't know what Chrome and Mukuro were doing with theirs. She considered them both her mist 'guardians'. Actually, they were becoming more like one being. They never seemed to go anywhere without the other at their side and their flames where practically merged for all intents and purposes now anyway. Tsunahime was just glad that while they were together a lot (almost co-dependent on one another) they both could interact with the family on their own.

Chrome loved the children, Hibird and surprising Kyoya. Kyoya, of course, had a soft spot for small animals and decided that Chrome was one. It also helped that Chrome wasn't only a small animal but a _bird_ as well. While they didn't speak much, both being quiet people to begin with, they actively searched out each other's presence. Which, for Kyoya, was a big deal. Mukuro, of course, teased the two about it which then led to a fight between the wolf and fox, Chrome blushing in that adorable way of her's off to the side.

Mukuro spent time with Takeshi, surprising enough, finding a somewhat kindred spirit in him. The way Takeshi hid his true nature behind smiles appealed to Mukuro's fox and mist nature. He also liked to spend time with Reborn. The two spreading Chaos whenever possible. Mukuro liked using his illusions against the hitman as a type of training as the not-infant was good at spotting them. Reborn would then use that as an excuse to use the fox as target practice. Not that he needed much of an excuse in the first place.

They did spend time with the rest of the family, but they were probably closer to those out of the rest.

Anyway, for the upcoming battle with the Varia, Reborn arranged for tutors to help with the training. Colonnello, from Mafia Land, was coming to help train Ryohei. Tsunahime was quite happy to leave it in the blonde's hands, he seemed to train people regularly and had the same style of teaching as Reborn did if that whirlpool was anything to go by.

Dino was going to train Kyoya. Tsuna couldn't lie, she was a more than a little worried about that. Out of all of her bonded, Kyoya was the one who didn't even _learn_ the concept of holding back (nevermind understand it) and he was a full demon. Oh, he wasn't in anyway stupid enough to reveal that fact as he could be quite clever when he wanted to be but the problem still remained. Dino was probably going to get his arse kicked, brutally. It probably didn't help the fact that Dino, for all his good intentions, didn't seem to know polite manners or acted too cocky to use them with his men by his side. That would not endear him to Kyoya in any way.

Hayato was going to his old tutor, the school nurse that Reborn had no doubt invited a while back. Tsuna believed that because not only was the guy Italian but he shamelessly flirts with every girl he sees, even girls in Naminori school. Said girls were underage. Under normal circumstances, he would have been fired a lot time ago, but 'strangely' hadn't been. Reborn probably has him around encase Tsuna or one of her bonded got ill/injured and couldn't go to a hospital. She appreciates the subtle gesture that he'd make sure they were in good health if it didn't get in the way of his contract.

Takeshi was going to further train with his sword and ask his father for any useful tips. Mukuro and Chrome were using each other as training partners, bouncing ideas off each other.

Tsuna, herself, was doing some training with Reborn.

* * *

Colonnello watched as the boxing kid relaxed beside him, completely still, as the sun generated enough heat to keep them both warm despite the lack of activity. The kid had yet to complain about the 'lack' of training and seemed to understand why they were doing such a thing.

He was already surprised when Reborn called him to train someone (it was rare for that guy to ask for help, well he demanded it, but that's besides the point) and the kid already felt pretty strong. For a kid at that age he already had the basics down and judging from how the boy tracked Colonnello's movements when he used his gun to examine him, he had combat experience.

* * *

Takeshi grinned as he clashed with his dad, who was wearing the exact same expression on his face. Their swords clashed, sparks flying as they slowly but surely sped up once their visitor had left, their blood lust mimicking the pace. Shigure Kintoki purring in his mind, matching his excitement.

No words were exchanged as they continued to fight.

* * *

"Mukuro-sama." called Chrome, stretching her wings proudly, showing them off. She'd finally learnt how to create a solid illusion and was good enough at them to make her own wing. She could make other soild illusions before but making one that is, basically, another muscle attached to her (and therefore needed the same reflexes that her other wing had) took a lot of attempts to get right. She, sometimes, lost concentration if she got too excited, however. Still, that only meant she'd have to keep training until she could hold the illusion in her sleep like the illusions Mukuro made to replace her missing organs. This was Chrome's ticket to being able to fly with her _own_ strength. She wasn't going to do it halfhearted. Though she kept the blue colour, liking the subtle reminder of Mukuro. And from Mukuro's pleased expression, he liked it as well.

"Well done, my dear Chrome." the fox purred with happiness, making her almost preen at his praise, as he made a solid illusion of his trident. He twirled it around in his hand for a moment before taking a stance, "Now we work on your strength."

Chrome nodded, resolve and determination shining in her single eye.

* * *

Hayato stood, waiting for his mentor to finally come out of the nurse's office. When he finally did, the man came out singing, a can of beer in his hand, already smelling of the alcohol. "Oh? It you, Hayato. Don't surprise me like that." He said that like the man wasn't already aware of his presence, Hayato wasn't an idiot and for all that Shamal acted like one, he was also an assassin who was as paranoid and as alert as the rest of the mafia. Well, as alert as the veteran mafia was, Hayato learnt early on that some people in the mafia were _idiots_ , plain and simple.

Hayato was silent for a moment, he was lowing his pride asking the one who threw him away for help but he didn't care. He was doing this for Juudaime, for the one who accepted him without question or condition (being her friend first didn't really count as a condition in Hayato's mind and it never would. It still sounded like he was getting more out of this bond than she was, getting a whole family and knowing the all-consuming sense of safety and warmth that came with it, but Juudaime was always so gentle and considerate that Hayato knew he couldn't ask for anything to be different. He could barely bring himself to even think about what it would be like with his family gone. He'd just have to work even harder to prove to Juudaime that he was loyal and deserving of the family, even if Juudaime never questioned it to begin with), "Can you do me a favour?"

Ignoring the serious tone of voice Hayato had used, Shamal stumbled slightly and asked with a silly grin and teasing tone, "What is it? Love advice?"

Hayato immediately blushed, thrown by the question, "No!" Taking a deep breath to calm himself and remember his reason for coming as well as counting backwards from ten, Hayato continued, "Would you take me as your student?"

Shamal's grin fell away as he observed his former pupil. Something within the boy had changed, settled. He stood with more self worth, pride, in himself. Perhaps he had learnt what he failed to understand before, "Why?" gone was the flirty man and in his place as the assassin, Trident Shamal. Not that side of him ever left to begin with, Hayato thought to himself, he knew Mukuro enough to see a facade when he saw one.

"I have to get stronger to protect, Juudaime!" the boy exclaimed and Shamal hid his disappointment. When he was about to tell the boy to leave and never come back, Hayato continued, "But I also need to know how to protect myself! Juudaime worries if anyone of us is in danger. I don't want to cause my sky worry..." Hayato's voice soften as he went, honesty in every word. Juudaime constantly worried about them and Hayato knew his reckless nature didn't help her. It was difficult though, he couldn't just wake up one day believing he was worth something. It took time, Hayato knew objectively, but he didn't know where to start. Hayato figured learning how to fight without damaging himself was at least a good area to begin with though. He could work on that, even if it meant retraining himself from the basics. Hayato didn't have patience but he'd try for Juudaime.

Shamal sighed. Well, in a roundabout way, Hayato had learnt some self-perversion (or wanted to learn) even if it was only because he didn't want his sky to worry. Which was probably the best reason Hayato could find given his family situation and his time on the streets.

"Come on, kid."

This sky better be worth Hayato's loyalty.

* * *

Kyoya sat with a book in hand, not really reading it in favor for studying the ring in his other hand. It was physical proof of his pack, proof that he wasn't a lone wolf anymore (he didn't need to wander alone in silence anymore because he had a _pack_. A pack that he would defend till his last breath because his pack was where he belonged and no one, _no one_ , was going to take that away from him. His pack let him drift wherever he wished without chaining him and Kyoya was not going to let that go for anyone. His pack belonged to him) and that was enough to get him to keep such a thing.

Even if it came with that ridiculous, herbivore title of 'guardian'. Still, Kyoya knew his sky well and knew she was anything but weak enough to warrant a bodyguard. He'd just need to correct (read: bite to death) anyone who makes the mistake of inferring something as herbivorous as that. After all, his sky was an _alpha_ , she had no need of bodyguards. That didn't mean he would stop patrolling around her den. Sometimes, herbivores got ideas above their station and it was best to deal with them personally. His alpha was too forgiving when herbivores targeted her instead of the other members of the pack.

Kyoya soon clenched the ring within his hand, hiding it away from unnecessary, unwanted eyes as the door of the -his- reception opened. The blonde haired herbivore and bodyguard that foolishly thought they could capture Alpha in her own territory were there, walking in without even knocking, like he owned the place.

This was Kyoya's territory, not that herbivore's! Kyoya narrowed his eyes at the men in warning. It seemed the warning he graciously gave was either ignored or not seen as the man began talking anyway, "You're Hibari Kyoya right?"

"...And you are…?" He needed to know the name of the man that was running into his territory like it belonged to the blonde, it wouldn't do to have a nameless grave stone… Though if he left alive the servant/bodyguard he could possibly identify the man for Kyoya, right? Still, Kyoya reminded himself that while the man did attempt to attack Alpha (he'd never get away with such an offence with him watching, attempting was as far as the herbivore would ever be able to get) she seemed to be fond of him. Though why that was, was beyond the carnivorous boy.

"I'm like Tsuna's big brother and also an acquaintance of Reborn." Kyoya barely resisted the urge to growl and bare his teeth. This herbivore walks into _his_ territory and wasn't even willing to introduce himself properly! If he was an acquaintance of that not-baby trying to court Alpha then surely the herbivore knew what manners were, "I want to talk about the ring with the cloud symbol on it."

"...Talking about that ring is not my main concern." Kyoya stood from his seat, he already knew all he needed to know. Strong people were coming after it and keeping the ring close meant getting to fight strong people. He looked at the blond herbivore that had no manners to speak of, "I'll bite you to death!"

The blonde herbivore smirked at him, Kyoya didn't resist the urge to growl at him this time, "A problematic kid." The herbivore brought out a bull whip and Kyoya, in turn, pulled out his tonfa, "That's fine. Things will go faster this way."

When Dino was lying on the school roof in _utter agony_ (Kyoya refused to damage any school property and so moved them to the roof), Romario trying to tend to him as best as the man could, he could only curse himself for being so cocky. That kid was not, in any way, shape or form, human! He couldn't be! And for that matter, how the hell did his cute, little sworn sister get Hibari to willingly call her 'Alpha'? Because that was obviously the kid's way of acknowledging Tsuna's leadership over him.

His cute little sister didn't seem so cute anymore… To be able to tame (Tsuna didn't even try to tame the wolf and that's one of the reasons why he followed her willingly) someone like that… She couldn't be human either.

Dino didn't know how right he was.

* * *

Tsuna looked up to the mountain (it was more like a massive cliff really, but Reborn liked being dramatic sometimes) in front of her, "You want me to climb this?" she asked. Her flame, sensing her father's, flared with the annoyance she didn't allow to show on her face. She couldn't really do anything at the moment about him. The Varia were coming and frankly having someone who was closer to the ninth was a good advantage to have. Tsuna didn't even feel sorry for using Iemitsu. Well, she'll be using him indirectly. Tsuna knew holding an actual civil conversation with that man was out of her reach, _way_ beyond her reach. If the man thought she was avoided him because she didn't know how to act around him, being absent all her life, then she'll use that to her advantage.

Reborn stared at her, scanning the area with his flames before understanding and nodding slightly. He was glad he quickly learnt how to sense her emotions in her flame. Apart from being a handy skill to have when reading your opponent, it meant they could have an almost silent conversation without the risk of anyone listening in. Well, anyone _normal_ listening in. "Of course. You use your fists, among other things, and the first boss of the Vongola used this training in order to get stronger." Reborn smirked suddenly, "I'll have you climb this mountain, normally, without any dying will flame, bambina."

Tsuna blinked, her calm smile faltering for a moment, which just made the hitman's smirk grow in smugness. Normally? As in without phoenix strength? Tsuna looked up at the mountain again, it suddenly looked more daunting than before. "That's not very fair." she complained, belatedly once she gathered her wits.

"Oh?" Both of them relaxed minutely once they felt Iemitsu move away, having heard what Tsuna would do for her training and believed Reborn would punish her for complaining then make her do it. Which he would do, but he'll at least hear her out. Tsuna rarely complained, and when she did it was for a genuine reason.

"Primo wasn't exactly a normal human…"

Reborn openly groaned at that, jumping on her shoulder, to smack her (gently) around the head on principle. He remembered a time when all he needed to worry about was multiple coloured flames and the chaos (though he rather liked that part) that was the mafia, "What was he?"

Tsuna chuckled at his misfortune (maybe he rubbed off on her a little too much if it was coming around to bite him) and responded, "He was human but he and his line was blessed by a phoenix at one point." Tsuna knew she heard the name 'Primo' at some point! Granted it took a while to find out but it at least explains her ability to turn into a full phoenix. Tsuna just assumed her phoenix blood ran pretty strong in her, before. Which was true in a way, she supposed. Her 'father's' blessed nature drew out her own phoenix blood, making it stronger and more pure than what it would have been without Iemitsu being blessed.

"Blessed?" It was Reborn's first time hearing about anything like that. She never mentioned it in her lessons. Reborn ignored the fact he was taking lessons from his student. It was already a blow to his pride and he didn't want it to suffer anymore than it had.

"What, do you think it's normal that suddenly, after Primo, everyone in his line had a bigger chance of being born with such strong sky flames then what is considered normal, even nowadays?" Tsuna teased him. Him, the world's greatest hitman! She was definitely spending too much time with that sly mist! And that wasn't Reborn being jealous. It wasn't. "It's why I'm considered a full phoenix even if only one of my parents are. Well I'm technically three quarter phoenix but it's enough to turn into a phoenix's full form so most people count me as one."

Reborn sighed, he should have known there was something in Iemitsu's line that wasn't normal if she could turn into a full phoenix with only one parent being one and yet Hayato, for example, couldn't. Still, he had tor-tutoring to do and so Reborn jumped off his bambina's shoulder and shot at her (not really aiming, he didn't want to actually hurt her after all, just gave her a scare) before he flipped to land smoothly on the ground. She dodged the bullet, of course, as he shouted, "Up the mountain, _normally_ , bambina!"

Tsuna sighed before she smiled at him, so bright and warm that he had to tighten his control on his emotions. She didn't make it easy, Reborn could already feel the urge to kiss her senseless. It didn't help that Reborn wasn't very used to denying himself anything, and so despite all of his control, felt quite unbalanced doing so. And why did acknowledging his… interest (he still wasn't quite sure what to call whatever this was. Oh, he knew. At least he believed he knew but didn't really want to open that can of worms just yet when he only just admitted to himself that this… thing was more than a passing fancy) suddenly made his attraction to the bambina more powerful? This body was getting even more annoying than it was originally and Reborn didn't even know that was possible. He consoled himself by watching his bambina's half-naked form (she was only wearing a training bra and shorts for training, having discarded the jacket she brought with her when they begun) flex and sweat, trying to get to the top of the cliff.

In hindsight, it probably wasn't the best thing to do when Tsuna merely smiling at him made him want to lose control.

* * *

"Good job, bambina." Reborn complimented, trying not to eye her body, he might have failed but at least he wasn't obvious about it as Tsunahime reached the top, "You've passed the first step. So we'll move on to the second step." Tsuna nodded once she regained her breath. It was more difficult than she expected, trying to not call on her phoenix strength and only use what a normal human would have. It was a humbling experience. If anything else, by the end of this training she'll at least have excellent control over her body, "Well, that's what I would say."

"Oh?" Tsuna tilted her head in curiosity. Reborn would forever stand by his belief that Tsuna did that on purpose.

Reborn nodded, "The second step is to gain the ability to control your dying will. However, as a phoenix you can instinctively do that, and gaining the experience in using it against opponents is also useless considering you spar with me from time to time." Reborn was allowed to be damn well proud of that fact as well, "We are going to train you to use Dying Will: Zero point breakthrough."

* * *

 **And... Cut!**

 **Not much to say about this chapter actually apart from the fact that I really liked writing Kyoya's part. I felt that the training bit needed to take up a full chapter because it gave insights into their resolve, as well as their different actions to what Canon!Characters did. Some said the same thing, Kyoya for example, but his disinterest wasn't because he didn't want anything to do with Tsuna but rather he didn't want or need Dino explaining anything to him. Though that was probably part of Canon!Kyoya's reasoning as well. Hayato, on the other hand, had a completely different outcome than what was Canon due to the fact that my Tsuna is a lot more grounded and she is more affectionate than Canon!Tsuna was. Not that Tsunayoshi didn't like Hayato in Canon, but he spent most of the Daily Arc freaking out about his situation, which is completely understandable to be fair.**

 **I also ranted about Iemitsu's choice of lightning guardian was well! Yay! Around this point I'd explain the reasons why I don't like Lambo being a guardian but based on the fact that he's a** ** _child_** **I think already know what I'm going to say anyway.**

 **Thanks for reading as always and leave a review on your way out.**


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter Seventeen

Tsuki yawned as she slowly walked down the street. She was going to see Tsunahime-sama to let her know some information that Bat told her. Apparently the Varia came earlier than what was expected. Whatever Tsunahime-sama gave Bat for the information about the Varia must have been good if the old demon was willing enough to seek Tsuki out to update her without anyone nagging her. The old bat seemed to have some life put back into her.

The vampire looked up to the night sky contently, the moon wasn't full but it was still shining beautifully, as she heard someone drop from the wall behind her. Was the man supposed to be quiet? Well, for a human he was quiet, Tsuki supposed, but she had enhanced hearing. She could hear his heart beating in his chest. He couldn't hide from Tsuki. The man moved, fist raised, about to hit her...

Except he was flug back by a fist. With lazy, half-lidded eyes, Tsuki turned seeing Ryohei, with a flaming fist that quickly disappeared before anyone else, including their enemies, could see. Ah, that's a shame. She wanted to surprise the man when she got up uninjured from his attack. "Tsunahime's sun element and Colonello's best disciple, Sasagawa Ryohei is here!" Ryohei shouted, completing his flashy entrance. That boy was way too excitable. She saw him nearly everyday at the arena and it looks like he's done even more training on top of that. Though she wondered who this Colonello was. Perhaps he was one of the trainers Tsunahime-sama said was coming into town. Two more fools moved to attack, seeing one already taken out, but Takeshi and Hayato had already disposed of them. They jumped down and landed in front of her.

"Oh?" Everyone blinked and looked behind, Tsunahime-sama was there with Mr Hitman on her shoulder (not that seeing the fake baby there was surprising. The hitman seemed to cling to Tsunahime-sama's shoulder because he never seemed to go anywhere else), "What's going on here?"

Tsuki bowed, "Tsunahime-sama. It seemed like these fools were after something."

Tsuna chuckled, "They were unsuccessful by the looks of things. Is everyone alright?" Tsuna was glad that Lambo and the other children were endlessly entertained in the big mansion that belonged to the Hibari family. It also helped that they were servants to keep them from escaping and were willing to indulged them (said servants had to deal with Kyoya when he was a child so they were more than equipped to deal with them. Kyoya was even more demanding then than he was now). The children had the servant wrapped around their little fingers. Everyone nodded their consent, regardless of the fact that Tsunahime's flames were already scanning them and so already knew of their condition. Tsuna preferred to physically reassure herself. She worried less that way.

She reassured Mukuro, Chrome and Kyoya that were sending questioning flames to her through her bond with them. There wasn't any need of them to come just yet.

"But they were weak to the extreme! I thought it'd be harder." commented Ryohei. He trained with the idea of getting stronger because his opponents were going to be strong. While he extremely liked the training he was given, as it made him stronger, he didn't want all the effort he put into sitting still wasted. Ryohei knew why he was doing that, he had to with his knowledge of healing and medicine but that didn't make it any easier when all his body (and himself) wanted to do was get up and spar with someone, punch something, just do something more physically tiring. Being mentally exhausted wasn't as satisfying as being physically exhausting, he'd found.

"They were just underlings. The really scary ones are…" Reborn trailed off and everyone knew why. They could sense it. The stronger one of the fools (the one who attacked first) were up. He was tall and heavyset with spiky black hair and lightning-shaped sideburns. Piercings adorned his face and he wore a dark leather outfit, bearing a resemblance to Squalo's trench coat.

He watched silently for a moment before he opened his mouth, "You guys did that." he stated, quite obviously, looking at his men, "My opponent who wields the ring of thunder is the woman with the short, black hair." At his piecing look, Tsuki yawned, completed bored and not at all intimated. Only Tsunahime-sama really scared her and that was only when she went on a warpath for her family. The man began to draw his parabolas (he must be Leviathan, then) and held them out threateningly, "If you interrupt, I'll eliminate you too."

"Hold it, Levi!" A group of people appeared from behind Leviathan, from the hill he was standing on. Tsuki sighed, where were they all popping up from? "Don't hunt them on your own."

"Hunt?" Tsuki muttered with an amused smirk in place. How amusing, humans pretending to be monsters. She wouldn't mind showing them what a true hunt looked like. They could be her prey as well, Hibari would most likely join her too. Tsuki hadn't had a good hunt in a while, now that she thought about it and it _was_ a beautiful night for one.

"It looks like the other wielders of the rings are here as well." stated a small cloaked baby, who had a small black frog sitting on his head. However this baby felt like Reborn rather than normal one, mused Tsuna, as she glanced at the hitman on her shoulder who was also looking at the baby. Reborn looked confused, or rather was flame felt confused, it was probably because his pacifier wasn't reacting to the other baby like it did when Skull turned up at Mafia land. One of them were called Mammon, but also went by the name Viper of the Arcobaleno in the past. That baby was probably Mammon, then.

"Voi! How dare you trick me. You piece of trash!" shouted Squalo, Tsuna wondered if that was the only volume he had, "Which one of you wields the ring of rain?"

Takeshi smiled, eyes sharp, "Haha. That'll be me."

Squalo grinned, looking pleased, "Oh it's you! You owe me a continuation from our last fight!" Takeshi only laughed in response.

"Move." A man ordered from behind Squalo pushing him then Leviathan out of the way. His dark hair was spiky and he had a buzz cut on the sides. It was also adorned with feathers and an animal tail (was that a raccoon?) at the nape of his neck, coming over his left shoulder to rest in the front. He had a tall and muscular build. He also wore what appeared to be the Varia uniform (given the fact that all of the group wore a similar design, if customised to their liking) jacket on his shoulders, much like a cape. He matched it with a white dress shirt, black pants, and a loosely knotted tie, along with black boots. The man, most likely Xanxus due to his flames, glared down at Tsuna.

She returned it with a calm, serene smile, politely ignoring the bloodlust he was raiditing in her direction, "Nice to meet you, leader of the Varia."

He twitched in anger, "Sawada Tsunahime." he raised his hand, almost clenching it as flames gathered. Her family members gathered near her but she raised her flames to cover them, silently ordering them to stay back and let her handle this. Reborn not bothering to leave her shoulder, knowing she could handle it (the trust that signified still made feel all warm and almost giddy with happiness), "Die."

Tsuna was really looking forward to this attack, it looked pretty powerful and she'd loved to test herself against him, except Xanxus was interrupted by a _pickaxe_ , of all things. It came swinging down and landed buried in the ground before him. What was with the mafia interrupting other people's fights? "That's enough, Xanxus." Iemitsu's voice came, two men -one of them being Basil- (his name was still ridiculous, Tsuna hoped she wouldn't have to give her family any code names like that when she became the boss of that mafia Family because she'd flat out refuse. She had her pride and so did her family) behind him, "We'll take it from here." Tsuna sighed and called her other elements using her bond to them. She had a feeling she'll need them if Iemitsu was here. Plus, her mists and single cloud wouldn't forgive her if she left them out when she realised she'd be facing her 'father' when they found out her opinion of the man. She probably wouldn't be able to hide her dislike for the man with him being so close and her family was far from oblivious.

"Y-you?! What are you doing here?" demanded Squalo. His posture, threatening and he looked a second away from slicing Iemitsu (Tsuna was still staring at the fact that the man had a _pickaxe_ as a weapon. Sure, some supernaturals had weird weapons as well but that was because some things were easier to channel their abilities into. Surely a human could find a more suitable weapon to wield) into two.

"Xanxus, is one of your minions planning to swing his sword at me, the outside adviser?" Iemitsu voice was full of arrogance and self-assurement. Tsuna raised an eyebrow but sighed quietly when Squalo didn't make another move to attack. Obviously, his position within the family was enough of a big deal to stop even blood thirsty assassins. That was a shame. She was looking forward to the show, especially if it included Iemitsu getting his arse handed to him. Reborn shot her an amused look, his smirk twitching upwards even more, but otherwise didn't comment. Good, she knew he was thinking the exact same thing so he couldn't say anything.

And really, calling one's element a minion? If someone dared to do something like that in her presence about her elements… Well, Tsuna isn't really sure what she'd do, she probably wouldn't kill them but it wouldn't be pretty, that much was certain. Iemitsu should know better, should know the bond between sky and element well enough to not even dare to ridicule it like that. Even if she didn't know Xanxus personally (or even his personality), she was pretty sure all elements to their skies were precious in their own way. Though thinking about it, did Iemitsu even have an element? Tsunahime was pretty sure he was a sky, (even if he was a weak one) he should have at least one, especially given his position in the mafia.

"Voi! Shut up, Iemitsu! You're the one who can't do anything but ran around!" raged Squalo. Understandable, really, he obviously wanted to slice the man but couldn't. Tsuna understood what he was feeling intimately well. Her wings itched with the same desire when the man was around.

"What?!" Basil exclaimed, wanting to come at his 'master's' defence. Given how the boy acted around the man, she'd think he was bonded to Iemitsu but his flames didn't imply that.

"Wait, Basil." Iemitsu ordered easily, probably used to the behaviour, though the way he dismissed the boy's well-meaning concern slightly annoyed her, "I wasn't running, I was waiting for the ninth order. And here it is." Basil handed her a copy along with Xanxus on his 'master's' silent command. Tsunahime wasn't even going to begin with what was wrong about calling someone 'master' as it wasn't common with humans in this day and age, she hoped it was something to do with the boy's understanding (or lack of understanding) of the Japanese language (though his 'master' must have taught him Japanese that way), at least in martial arts it had more to do with tradition.

Tsuna quickly read through the sheet of paper. Basically, the ninth changed his mind and said his 'intuition became sharper with old age' (which didn't happen on _any_ plane of existence) and picked Xanxus as his heir (an heir nobody bothered to mention existed until this Squalo out came with his sword swinging that day). Iemitsu decided otherwise and so a ring battle was required. Because, apparently, the heirs couldn't _talk_ it out or if they couldn't talk it out, they couldn't even decide how they wanted to handle it by themselves.

Tsuna sighed, annoyed with this whole situation (and it hasn't even started yet), when two women appeared and stated they were going to be the judges for the ring battle, because being under the ninth made that acceptable, somehow… Reborn wasn't kidding when he explained about how much influence the vongola had, "I have a problem with this." she stated in a clear, authoritative voice. Tsuna glaced only for a moment at them before dismissing them, her family could easily protect her if they tried anything. She'd rather observe the Varia, who were the bigger threat in the area, if they decided to attack.

One of the twins (they had to be twins, they looked too similar) asked, "Why?"

"I don't care if you serve the ninth." This gandered a curious look from Xanxus and the rest of the Varia, "This is neutral territory, under the command of the Hibari family. You have no authority here unless you go through one of them."

"We do not accept that objection." They said that like their opinion was something that mattered in these situations. They couldn't just turn up out of the blue and have full run of the town without anyone even questioning their so called rule. That wasn't how the world worked. The mafia, of all things, should know that! She was also somewhat insulted with the fact that they were trying to take over _her_ town. Even if they didn't know that. She was titled the 'Shadow Queen' even if she doesn't care much for the name, Tsuna acknowledges that it made her responsible for the town and she takes her duty seriously, making sure all the supernatural stay in check. At least as much as they can be.

"Like I said, I do not care." Tsuna hissed, her flames getting agitated, raising slightly with every passing moment. Anyone who seemed to care about manners and decorum seemed to be in the minority within the mafia. Tsuna could see herself growing quite annoyed with it. Reborn, at the very least (and he could do much more) knew about respect, thankfully. She didn't know what she'd do if he didn't. Everyone apart from her family looked at her warily, as if they suddenly realised there were a predator in the area instead of an easily frightened creature. In contrast, her family relaxed slightly, knowing Tsuna's anger was never a threat to them, in fact, it always protected them. "You can be judges and you can also set out the battles how you wish, however you cannot place them wherever you want!"

"Kufufufu…" her mist's laugher sounded before he appeared behind her, fazing into existence, Chrome by his side, "You are absolutely beautiful when you're angry, darling." he purred. Reborn subtly shot him a glare, tightening his hold (and mentally his claim, though he had yet to do anything) on Tsuna's shoulder. The sly fox had the nerve to actually smirk at him! Reborn narrowed his eyes threateningly at the male.

"Bossu." greeted Chrome.

"Herbivores." growled Kyoya at the intruders, stalking out of the shadows, nodding sharply in his Alpha's direction.

"You cannot decided such things." The cervello spoke, ignoring the new arrivals, they really had no idea, did they? It was almost laughable.

"This whole town is considered my cloud's territory. Do you want to be in the middle of a cloud and what they consider theirs?" Tsunahime questioned, knowing that at least the mafia knew what kind of threat that was. Kyoya's eyes sharpened into a glare (well more of a glare then what he was currently showing), bloodlust raising to levels that shouldn't really exist. The cervello didn't speak, sweat trailing down the side of their faces. A wise decision, really. No one wanted to be the cause of a cloud's rage. Bad Things (capital letters were _definitely_ needed) tended to happen. That was a universal fact.

Xanxus smirked, amused, "Not bad, little trash."

Tsuna smiled at the man, "You're not too bad yourself. Your swordsman was pretty good when he fought against Takeshi. I haven't seen him that interested in a fight for a while."

Squalo stared at the girl, with the World's Strongest Hitman sat on her shoulder, as she calmly chattered with his boss with something akin to disbelief (complimenting Xanxus' elements, something anyone rarely did, was always an easy way to get on the man's good side. Not that anyone knew that outside of the bonded elements themselves as most was quick to insult them instead). She looked so small and weak at first glance that when he first saw her, he dismissed her but now that he was really looking at her, he can see dismissing her was a mistake. It could have been a potentially fatal mistake, he realised. She commanded power as easily as his shitty boss did, though it was in a more subtle way. The group around her stood ready to attack and defend on her order but also to step back if needed. This girl wasn't some pushover that most skies were nowadays. She defended what was hers with the fierceness of a tigress. That was shown easily in the way when her flames rose to shield her guardians against the boss' attack instead of hiding behind them or running away.

"Tuna-fish~" whined Iemitsu childishly, he was her father?! How did that work out? She must have completely bypassed his genes by some miracle, "You shouldn't be talking to them. They are your enemies."

Tsunahime frowned slightly before it smoothed out, she didn't bother looking at the man-child, "Iemitsu, I thought avoiding you might have given you a clue that I don't want anything to do with you. Also I decided who are my enemies, not you. You have no say in my life."

"But I'm your father!" shouted Iemitsu in shock. Reborn, who was known for his cool composure, glared at the man like he was worse than the scum of the earth. Squalo, and to be fair everyone in the Varia, approved.

"You threw that relationship away when you asked the ninth to seal me when I was five!" seer hatred laced the girl's voice and the Varia blinked in shock at the information. Seal?! As in seal her flames?! At five?! It seemed her guardians didn't know that either because they stilled for a long moment, as if replaying what their sky had said, before starting to radiate their own displeasure at the news, giving glares that made even the Varia nervous.

Reborn placed a hand on the girl's neck and she pointedly took a deep breath in order to calm herself, "Sorry about airing all that out in front of you. It was quite rude of me." Xanxus blinked in surprise at both the girl's change of attitude and her polite nature to him. He was used to people looking down at him because he was a bastard or being so fearful of him that they couldn't speak, "Now to find a place to fight you in. I am looking forward to it, after all." Tsuna was going back to ignoring Iemitsu, who was standing still, frozen in place. It was a miracle everyone was thankful for.

The girl's lightning guardian stepped forth, giving a bow of respect (which was a change from the total disinterest she had shown through most of the meeting, except when Iemitsu was brought up), "Tsunahime-sama, may I give a suggestion?"

Tsuna smiled and Squalo didn't know something so simple could look so bright, "Of course, Tsuki."

The woman straightened, "Perhaps we could use the arena? I have temporarily shut it down in light of recent events so it'll be empty." Tsuki didn't want to be working when Tsunahime-sama called on her, after all.

"That's a brilliant idea! Thank you, Tsuki." The woman blushed slightly before bowing in thanks again. As soon as Tsunahime's attention wasn't on her, Tsuki slouched once more, "Is that alright with you, Xanxus?"

Why was the little trash asking his opinion? "What's the arena?" questioned Xanxus, he figured it was a fighting area of some kind but Mammon didn't notify him of such a thing so it couldn't be all that good.

"It's the underground fighting ring in Namimori. As long as the Cervello are as neutral as they claim they are, it should be fair enough despite it being on my hometurf, if you will."

"Muu, I didn't know there was a fighting ring." Mammon stated under their breath. Xanxus had to look at Mammon for that, because what? Since when did the miser not know something?

The swordsman that wore a smile, laughed, "Haha, it's pretty well hidden." Which was true. The amount of supernatural charms around the place could make anyone's head spin.

"It's an extreme place!" shouted the girl's sun. He was as loud as Squalo was.

"Shut up, boxing-freak!" Smokin' bomb shouted back. The two was soon involved in an argument that the rain tried to solve, which only gained the storm's ire, before being dragging into it. The cloud scowled at them but didn't leave while the male mist 'kufufufu-ed' (Xanxus thought that his bratty-storm was the only one with a shitty laugh. He was wrong) and the female mist shuffled in her place, only settling when the other mist patted her on the head softly. The lightning looked even more bored than before, head tilted to watch the night sky, but Xanxus wasn't fooled. The lightning's posture was slightly facing her sky in case of an attack so she defend the mini-trash. The sky watched over them all with a fond smile as the Strongest Sun on her shoulder whispered something in her ear.

"Whatever. Do want you want." Xanxus spoke, if only to get this thing back on track because the chaos that group seemed to radiate reminded him of the Varia in a way, making him subconsciously relax. The little trash blinked before remembering what they talking about. He was a bit surprised he didn't need to raise his voice to be heard over the group.

"Tsuki." The woman snapped to attention, bored look forgotten, "Please escort the Cervello to the arena." the unspoken: watch them if they try anything strange, was heard by everyone.

"Of course." she bowed in acceptance before looking at the two identical twins, "Maa, follow me, cervello chicks."

Xanxus watched as the cervello gritted their teeth in anger at the nickname but followed nonetheless. Tsunahime held out a piece of paper, "A map, so you can get there without any hassle." he accepted with a curt nod, taking note of the way that she acknowledged he could get there without her help but offered it anyway. Both Tsunahime's group and he walked away, leaving Iemitsu behind as the loyal Varia followed him as always.

Xanxus couldn't help but think that this ring battle was going to be more interesting than he thought.

* * *

 **Chapter finished!**

 **So Xanxus is introduced! What do you think? Any good? I'm going to make Xanxus less of a jerk and seem more human while sticking to his character as much as possible. We'll see how it turns out.**

 **Iemitsu is also in hear and actually has screen time! Not much, but I don't just want Tsuna to explode at him. Tsuna is the type of person to stay as calm as possible for as long as she can. She's trying especially hard here because she can't attack Iemitsu without any reason. Well, she could but Nana wouldn't be very happy with that.**

 **Haven't got much to say here because this chapter is the build up but they'll but some action in the next chapter. Thanks for the reviews, as always and thanks for reading!**


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter Eighteen

Tsuna's elements were silent on the walk home, glancing at their sky every so often. At all times, someone was was watching her, as if they were afraid she'd vanish when they weren't looking. Tsuki had ran back to them, using her superior speed given to her as a vampire after asking a loyal subordinate to cover for her til she got back to watch the Cervello herself. Only when they finally got comfortable in Kyoya's house (who was soon becoming annoyed that his den was being used was a place to _crowd_ ) did Hayato's patience snap, "Juudaime! What's this about you being sealed?!" fear and anger covered his tone because even he knew know dangerous that was. Especially for a phoenix. This comment caused the metaphorical dam to break.

"Are you extremely alright?!" Ryohei voice came next, hands already alight with sunny yellow flame and hovering close.

"Haha, Tsuna?" Even Takeshi's laugher was strained, his eyes scanning his sky's body in an almost obsessive nature, looking over her again and again. His hand clutching his sword in a form of comfort.

"You forgot to tell us something important, Alpha." the calm statement was at odds with the intense eyes focused on her, worry badly hidden as the wolf's shoulders hunched inwards slightly. The cloud's hands twitching slightly as if to grab his tonfa and follow Takeshi's example.

"Shall I kill the one that dared touch you, Tsunahime-sama?" the deathly calm that covered the question like sweet honey was met with silence for a moment before Tsuna could literally see her elements perk up at the idea.

"Kufufufu, Chrome could use the experience in using her illusions against another opponent." Mukuro offered with glee, Chrome beside him nodded, she looked way too eager to use the excuse of training. Obviously, hanging around Mukuro so often had its effects on the usually sweet girl.

Reborn could only watch his bambina's elements cheerfully discuss how they were to kill Iemitsu and the ninth (bite to death, blowing them up, slicing them, beating them, messing with their minds so much that they kill themselves or go insane, ect. ect) with masked incredulity and maybe a little (okay, it was more than a little) respect and pride. Reborn did want to put a bullet between Iemitsu's and the ninth's eyes, but restrained himself from participating in the discussion. He had a reputation to keep. Though if he just happened to _accidentally_ shot them, well, it was hardly his fault if they got in the way of his shot. Everyone knew you _don't_ get in the way of the World's Greatest Hitman.

"You're not killing them." Tsuna's voice came over the discussion that was getting more and more heated ("I want to bite of them to death." / "Kufufufu, my dear Chrome wants to use this as a training experience, you bite people to death all the time, let someone else have some fun." / "I want to be the one to blow them up!"), even though she sounded pretty reluctant to do so.

"We hardly ever ask for anything though, darling." Mukuro complained, almost pouting childishly. The rest of the elements nodded in agreement, looking up to their sky, silently begging her to let them have _just this one thing,_ "We won't ask for anything else."

Tsuna sighed, she felt like she kicked their puppy with how they were looking at her, "A good boss is kind and considerate to their subordinates, bambina." added Reborn in his usual fashion. Her elements nodded to Reborn in thanks and agreement, added respect in their eyes for him. Why was he even getting involved in the first place?! He was supposed to be on her side and stopping them! Tsunahime took some time to give the hitman a scandalous look but he didn't bother to pretend that he was either sorry or embarrassed, the smirk he wore didn't even waver. In fact it grew. He liked to inflict Chaos too much...

"No." Tsuna said firmly, almost reconsidering for opinion when all of them -even Reborn, though it was a minute thing- wilted in place (though some were more subtle than others), "Iemitsu, as much as I hate the man, is my mother's Mate. I will not be the cause of her unhappiness." she stared at everyone, making sure they got the message. Luckily, they all nodded, abet reluctantly.

Chrome perked up, saying softly, "W-what about the ninth?" Dear god, she had been spending too much time with Mukuro and nothing anyone could say would change her mind. Mukuro looked so, so proud at his counterpart's question, looking to Tsunahime for an answer after praising Chrome with a pat on the head and smile in her direction (an honest-to-god smile instead of the usual smirk which spoke volumes of his pride).

Tsuna really wanted to throw her hands up in the air in annoyance, "We are not killing anyone!"

"Tsunahime-sama-"

"No! Do you know how much trouble we'll attract if we kill the boss of the 'strongest' mafia family?"

"The extreme Bermuda would back us up!" commented/shouted Ryohei. Bermuda probably would too, thought Tsuna despairingly.

"The mafia are terrified of the Vindice." 'helpfully' commented Reborn.

Tsunahime's eyebrow twitched, "No. We're not killing anyone and that's final!" she repeated before standing up and walking up to her room, hoping to get some sleep before the fight tomorrow. Honestly, why did she surround herself with bloodthirsty, overprotective mother-hens!?

It was silent for a moment as the elements watched Tsuna walk out of the room in badly masked annoyance till, "Does that mean we can still hurt them?" asked Takeshi with an light-hearted laugh and by 'hurt' he meant inflicting grievous bodily harm in the most painful way possible, _of course_. His answer was everyone grinning at him (though Kyoya, Tsuki, Mukuro and Reborn smirked) in agreement.

* * *

Reborn, after discussing ways to get around Tsuna's order with the other elements, went up to Tsuna's room (though he supposed it was both of their room seen as he slept in it too) wanting nothing more than to cuddle up with her (even if he was the one being cuddled) and get some shut eye.

He made it to the room but his Leon-phone started vibrating, stopping his advancement to the bed and thus sleep. He sent a longing look to the bed, before opening his phone and putting it to his ear, "Reborn."

Reborn scowled instantly, all thoughts of sleep gone from his mind, "How did you get this number, baka-Iemitsu?"

"The ninth gave it to me." Reborn's scowl deepened, tilting his fedora to cover his eyes. He gave that number to the ninth with the remark that it was for an emergency concerning the contract and that he wasn't to give it away to anyone. It wasn't traceable in any way (it was connected to Leon, who was an animal, after all) but he made sure his intent was clear before giving it too him. Surely, Timoteo wasn't as arrogant as to think he could disobey the World's Greatest Hitman without any consequences? Apparently he was, well, Reborn can show Timoteo why everyone knew that was a Bad Idea later.

"Why are you calling?" His tone of voice was clipped at best. And he was in such a good mood after discussing the different ways to kill someone too. It was quite therapeutic, he found. Especially when he was discussing way to kill Iemitsu, even if they knew they wouldn't be allowed to actually kill him, anyone with a brain who had met Iemitsu, no doubt, shared his opinion. Some people just shouldn't be able to draw breath.

"What happened to my Tuna-fish~? And where is she?" Dio mio, that nickname could destroy anyone's pride, Reborn would hate anyone who even dared to call him that, and so could that voice the idiot used. Reborn had to hold the phone away from his ear at the sheer pitch of it. He was going to change his number so that neither Iemitsu or Timoteo could call him again. This did not, under any circumstances, count as an emergency, not that this idiota should know how to contact him in the first place!

Reborn could not stand idiots on a good day and now he had to talk to one who nearly killed his bambina. He wasn't known for his patience so needless to say that his patience was already gone. Under normal circumstances, Reborn would have hung up by this point but his contract (and he was damning that thing to the deepest pits of hell the first chance he got) had a clause that he would need to answer any questions about his student's life when questioned by either the ninth or the outside adviser (mostly because the man was her father). "Nothing happened, Baka-Iemitsu. She's at her cloud guardian's house." Though she rarely called her elements 'guardians'. Tsuna was actually insulted when he explained to role of a guardian to her. She could protect herself and her elements were no meat shields, thank you very much! Did Reborn mention how much of a true sky Tsuna was?

"Don't lie to me, Reborn! Why does she hate her papa?!"

Reborn felt a flash of white hot anger, Leon turning red at his fury for a moment, at the tone Iemitsu used on him but quickly calmed himself. He couldn't shout at the man with Tsuna sleeping so peacefully a couple of feet away. Reborn was glad that his bambina was a deep sleeper when she felt safe enough (and he was perhaps more smug than he should, rightfully, be with the fact that Tsuna always slept deeply when he was near. He was glad that Tsuna knew, even unconscious as she was, that she would always be as safe as he could get her if he had anything to say about it -minus the Chaos he inflicted, of course). He could leave but the soothing presence of her flames was the only reason he was anywhere near calm at the moment. "Do. Not. Shout. At. Me. Iemitsu." he snarled into the phone, deadly threat hanging in the air. Reborn fought to keep his flames from reacting to his anger, Tsuna would be woken up if they lashed out, she was very sensitive to the flames around her, even sleeping as she was now. Reborn heard Iemitsu inhale sharply and carried on, not really satisfied (he wanted to see the fear in person before shooting him in between in the eyes) but wanting to be done with the conversation, "She told you. Tsunahime remembers when you sealed her flames and has no intention of forgiving you, _ever_." And with that, Reborn shut the phone off and watched as Leon changed back into his normal form, not giving Iemitsu any chance to ask him another question.

Reborn set his beloved fedora down gently (with Leon happily snuggled on the edge about to go to sleep) on the end table and got changed before sliding into Tsuna's arms. He breathed out, relaxing as those arms tighten slightly, bringing him as close to her chest as she could. Reborn had no problem with this. No problem, at all. Her nose was soon buried within his hair as Tsuna's flames were happily wrapping around his own, getting as close as possible, without Tsuna even needing to be physically conscience to do so.

* * *

Tsuna and her elements arrived at the arena and was welcomed by Tsuki who was already there before them. In the middle of the arena there seemed to be a cage of some sort. It was too dark to see into, however.

"They're here." said Reborn, on his place (it really was his place, the hitman nearly shot Lambo when the brat dared to try and sit there and before Reborn smugly sat on her shoulder with Tsuna half heartedly scolding him -she knew she couldn't control him and didn't even attempt to- and comforting the crybaby at the same time. Reborn ignored that fact that if Tsuna genuinely asked something of him, he'd probably do it without even asking for a favor in return. It was best Tsuna didn't find out about that, even if she was too good to even think about taking advantage of it) on Tsuna's shoulder as he always was. Tsuna hummed in agreement.

On the opposite side of the arena was the Varia. Even Xanxus had come, though he brought with him a chair (what was it with the mafia and the fancy chairs they just had to bring with them?), well it looked more like a throne to be honest.

"Haha, Tsuna we should get you a throne too." No, please don't. Tsuna doesn't need that. She really doesn't.

"Great idea, sword-freak!" No it wasn't! "Juudaime, I'll get you a throne!" Please, stop! It'll give people the idea that she should be worshiped or something equally ridiculous like that. Tsunahime doesn't need (or want) that in her life. Knowing her luck, it'd actually happen.

"Ah, that's okay." replied Tsuna, a bit of nervousness showing through her usual calm, Reborn smirked, "I don't need a throne. I perfectly happy sitting in a normal chair like everyone else."

Xanxus snorted in amusement, these kids were unbelievable. Here they were, about to fight to the death, and they were talking about chairs (of all things) without a care in the world. It really made it difficult to not like them. Kids had the potential to be Quality.

"The scramble battle for tonight has been decided." No one even so much as blinked when the two cervello twins jumped to land near the middle of the arena, beside of the cage, "The first match is… The battle between the guardians of the Sun."

"Yosh!" Ryohei fist pumped, extremely happy to be able to fight first, "I hope for an extreme fight!"

A man, who had... questionable taste in fashion, smirked openly at Ryohei, amused by the boy's attitude. He wore an open Varia trench coat and had brown hair with a side part of green hair hanging over the side of his face like a fringe. The man wore a orange boa around his neck with sunglasses covering his eyes. He had a tall and muscular build. He was, no doubt, the sun for the Varia.

"Thank you all for gathering. We shall now begin the battle for the rings." As the Cervello said this the cage lit up, revealing a boxing ring within it, "It's a special arena that we made by placing the traits of the Sun into consideration."

"Shishishi. They're using a lot of money for this." commented a boy, looking younger than the rest (excluding Mammon), about the same age as Tsuna. His blonde hair had in tiara carefully placed on it and was in a bowl-cut with the fringe obscuring his eyes from view. He wore what they assumed was the Varia uniform, in addition to a purple striped shirt.

"I think it's a perfect place for senpai." Takeshi said, his usual smile in place.

"Yeah! The ring is my territory!" shouted Ryohei. Tsuna didn't think he could get anymore fired up for this match.

"Loud herbivore." growled Kyoya in warning, not that appreciative of his loud exclamations.

"Guardians of the sun, please come to the centre of the ring."

Ryohei was about to comply, but Takeshi had an idea which gained instant scowls (or an eye twitch from Mukuro as his smirk froze) from Kyoya, Tsuki and Hatayo. "Hey, Tsuna, how about we form a group circle?"

Ryohei, however, was all for the idea, "That sounds passionate, I've always wanted to do that at least once!"

"You idiot! Why would we do such a lame thing!"

"Don't involve me with your crowding."

"Kufufufu… I, just this once, will have to agree with Kyoya-chan." This nickname was met with a tonfa from 'Kyoya-chan'.

They were just about to have their own 'little' fight but Takeshi promptly grabbed them both by their collars and tugged them into the circle. Ryohei, followed Takeshi's example and dragged Hayato into it. Tsuna willing went into said circle with an indulgent smile on her face, gently pulling Chrome along with her -not that Chrome didn't want to join in but she was still skittish with physical contact sometimes, though she was getting better. Reborn decided that circle wasn't worth losing his personal space over (which was strange considering he didn't bother with personal space when she was involved…) and quickly jumped off her shoulder. "Ryohei, fight!" Kyoya, Hayato, Tsuki and Mukuro immediately put distance between them and the rest of the group, annoyance on their faces, when the circle parted.

"Alright, I'm fired up to the extreme now!" Tsunahime was wrong, apparently, Ryohei could get more excited about the match… Still, Tsuna smiled as Ryohei finally got himself to the ring, Reborn jumping on her shoulder once more.

"He's here." he whispered in her ear, angled so no one could read his lips.

Tsuna barely nodded, smile staying fixed on her face though her eyes spoke of her disapproval before they fixed to Ryohei's back, "I know." Her hate for the man affected her flames. They'd automatically react negatively if he was in the area.

Ryohei and the green-haired man -Bat said the man was called Lussuria- placed their respective ring halfs around their neck. The exorcist taking off his jacket to allow for more movement. Lussuria stared at him, looking surprised for a moment, "Oh!" he exclaimed, sounding happy? "From up close, you're body looks mighty fine! You're like totally my type!"

Tsuna and the rest of her elements didn't really know how to react to that. "Bat did _not_ tell me about this…" muttered Tsuna, she felt this was information that Tsuna should have been told about, poor Ryohei looked more than a little freaked out before trying to regain his composure.

"I don't really get what you're saying but that's fine. I'll fight you fairly, that's all." Ryohei said, once he willed himself out of his shock and into his boxing stance.

"Is that a boxing stance? That's pathetic." Lussuria complained, throwing his trench coat off with a certain amount of flair, "I shall use the ultimate standing martial art, Muay Thai."

"So your informant was right." stated Reborn, once again whispering in her ear. Tsuna tried to ignore the feeling of his breath on her ear… She didn't really succeed but didn't really react apart for swallowing and did Reborn just smirk smugly at her? Was he doing this on purpose? Tsuna shook her head, now was not the time to think about it.

She smiled, "Bat never gives out misinformation. If she doesn't know something with hundred percent accuracy than she would refuse to answer." Tsuna then smirked, it looked strangely similar to Reborn's. He approved, "Still this is good."

Reborn was about to question what she meant by that but the spot lights hanging from the cage suddenly turned on, blinding everyone. He was quick to bring out some shades, passing one to Tsuna before handing them out to everyone else. Tsuna didn't know why Reborn was carrying so many of them (or where they came from, did everyone apart from her have hammer space?). She didn't think she wanted to know… Sometimes that turned out dangerous when it involved Reborn, even if she didn't know what was dangerous about sunglasses. It was better to be safe than sorry in this case though, "This special ring was re-modelled for the battle of the Sun guardian. It's a Sun Colosseum, lit by a fake sun."

"Senpai doesn't have any shades!" said Takeshi, worried for his fellow element's well-being. Lussuria was able to move freely because he had his own already on.

"Then let's give some to turf-top!" shouted Hayato, concern masked in his irritated voice.

"We will not accept any contact with the contestant, if you do we will disqualify them and the ring will automatically go to the other side." informed the cervello, coldly.

Lussuria went to attack Ryohei, expecting an easy hit. That wasn't what he got. As he went to knee the younger boy in the stomach, Ryohei suddenly reacted, grabbing the knee and therefore blocking what would have been a probably destating attack. Having the right knee in hand, Ryohei as able to judge where his opponent was, having seen how tall the man was before the light got turned on, and sent a left punch into Lussuria face. The man went flying backwards before flipping and landing correctly, barely fazed outside the bruise forming on his face, though his was a little surprised.

"W-what, he blocked my attack?!"

Ryohei grinned, "Your attacks are weak compared to Hibari-senpai's!"

* * *

Tsuna grinned as Lussuria frowned before attacking the boy again and continued the fight, "Ryohei-nii goes to the arena regularly and so does Kyoya. It makes sense that they'd fight each other eventually. Once you've survived a match against my wolf it's difficult to view your opponents the same way." Kyoya smirked, almost preening at his sky's compliment about his strength, "You need all your senses when you fight against Kyoya because to most people when he's going all out he's too fast to see and you'll need to use your hearing, sense of smell or even your sense of touch to keep up."

"The turf-top isn't too bad…" despite the words, awe was evident in Hayato's words.

"My pack will not be weak." Kyoya refused to have a pack consisting of herbivores so he'll usually attack them till they turn into a carnivore or at least close to one. That doesn't mean he'll stop calling them herbivores, however, Ryohei was too loud and friendly to be a true carnivore. He would usually attack either Takeshi or Ryohei because they weren't born with enhanced senses, so he'd beat better senses into them. It had the added benefit that he had more people to fight, which was one of the main reasons he went out of his way to do it.

* * *

Still even with the ability to block Lussuria's attacks, it was clear that Ryohei was at an disadvantage. He wasn't used to the heat channelling from the lights to the metal wires around them. He did avoid getting shoved into the metal bars, though. While he tried to avoid the right metal knee, he did get clipped by it sometimes, not able to use his full speed just yet. Luckily, his body wasn't exactly normal and could withstand it without any broken bones but there was no doubt that he had some that were bruised.

Still it was nowhere near as bad if he was a normal human, which Lussuria caught on to quickly. He attacked with more speed, confused. Tsuna didn't expect any less. Not only was the man an assassin (so he knew exactly how much strength was required to kill someone) but he was also a sun, having healing flames. Lussuria knew how the body worked, but Ryohei's wasn't fitting into his knowledge. Lussuria, himself, had injuries. The sun boy's punches hurt. He was stronger than the Varia member expected.

Ryohei was dehydeating from the amount of sweating he was doing, panting softly, "Get up, kora!" Tsuna turned to see Colonello, Ryohei's tutor. He was flying in on his hawk, Falco. He was apparently late due to Kyoko catching him out of bed and found the arena by sensing for Reborn's pacifier, "It's about time, kora. Go and show him your true strength, Ryohei."

Ryohei grinned, "I've been waiting for those words, Colonello-sensei!" He started using his flames, they raged just under his skin, burning the sweat on his body and turning it into steam.

"It doesn't matter what you do. I'll admit your body is stronger than I thought but in these conditions you can't win." Lussuria said those words as if he was stating something as simple as the weather forecast.

Ryohei raised his right hand with a grin, "You can take my left punch, but I wonder if you can take my extreme right punch!"

"That's right. Ever since he helped Tsuki, Ryohei had only been using his left hand." realised Reborn, leaning forward slightly in interest.

Tsuna hummed faintly in thought, "But why?" She didn't know too much about the body despite having sun flames herself. When they were used with her sky flames it was difficult to get any negative effects due to the harmonising factor. She should rectify that when she could. She didn't want to accidentally hurt someone with her sun flames when she was healing them, even if that risk was low.

"One is to give the cells a rest, making sure they're in perfect condition, and the other is because he is a guardian of the sun." answered Colonello.

"This right fist…" began Ryohei, "exists only to turn around the extreme disadvantage I have!"

Lussuria clapped, in mocking humor, "That's funny! I don't know how great that punch is but it won't do anything if you can't hit me." The man began moving side to side, footwork fast. It was sort of pointless though, considering Ryohei's only been using his sense of hearing and sometimes touch to get this far and so he didn't need to see the man, just time his punch properly.

Breathing in deeply, Ryohei got into his stance to use his right fist, his flames invisible but reacting to his will to fight all the same, "Muu, that's some aura he's got." muttered Mammon, standing up to get a better view. Xanxus also looked more interested in the fight with the blonde-haired boy.

Lussuria charged, about to hit Ryohei but Ryohei got there first, "Maximum cannon!" The upper cut forced Lussuria into the air, shattering his shades, but once again Lussuria recovered quickly and landed, if a little unsteady on his feet.

"If that was a clean hit, that would have been risky."

"No." Ryohei denied, "I hit it for sure." The lights above the cage shattered, shutting down and granting Ryohei the ability to open his eyes. "I can open my eyes now." and so he did. They were serious, determination shining clearly for everyone to see. The yellow sun of his flame barely kept from showing in his eyes in his excitement. He really did love to fight and was forever grateful that Tsuna got Kyoko to change her mind about it. Ryohei knew himself well enough to know that if Kyoko made him promise to not fight then he would keep it, only fighting in the ring. There was a different kind of adrenaline you get went fighting like this though and Ryohei's body craved it.

"Whether you have your eyes open or not doesn't matter. What's surprising is that your punch was strong enough to break the lights." commented Lussuria, sounding slightly studified, thinking about what he just saw.

"Lussuria." called the blonde-haired boy, "Look at his body carefully."

He paused for a moment, carefully looking at the boy's body as asked, "Oh no." Lussuria realised, "That's salt crystals! He used that salt that formed from his sweat and fired it like pellets."

Ryohei grinned but didn't say anything to confirm or deny it. It was a useful side effect that stopped people from realising it was his own strength, his own flames, that were able to do the damage. His sky wanted her elements to hold back after all. She didn't want them thinking they were anything more than human. Though he only used his flames to shoot the lights which any human could do with enough training... It just wasn't very common...

Lussuria copied Ryohei trick and blew the sweat/salt off his body to get rid of some more lights to the shock of Tsuna group. "That's varia quality for you." commented Reborn.

"Oh?"

"The Varia takes on missions that are said to be impossible for regular humans. Their demonic work or their high level skills in killing is considered Varia quality." responded Reborn.

"That's Reborn for you. You said it so well. Don't you understand the gap between our skills." said Lussuria with a grin.

It was silent for a moment while Tsuna and her elements took that in till… Laugher. Even Kyoya snorted with amusement, "What's so funny, trash?!" shouted Xanxus from the other side, taking it as an insult or mockery to his organisation.

Tsuna chuckled, "Demonic work…" Oh, the irony. Did Reborn say that on purpose? "My apologies, we weren't laughing at you." started Tsuna, gathering herself, "Your skills are something to boast of, being able to keep up with Ryohei-nii, even at the level he's been going at. But perhaps that's expected of you, being professionals."

"Level, kora?" Colonello had a right to be confused. Ryohei hadn't shown him anymore strength in their training then want he had just showed.

Tsunahime grinned, "Ryohei-nii lets wrap this up. It's getting late." She gave permission subtlety. She did need to make sure the children were all tucked in and sleeping since this was the first night she wouldn't be able to made sure they were sleeping at a reasonable time. Plus they needed to get some proper rest for the next battle too.

"Extremely understood!"

"Oh? Getting cocky, even after seeing that?" questioned Lussuria with a frown.

Ryohei grinned, "Not at all, you've given an extremely good fight." Ryohei blurred, with a burst of speed (using the activation factor of his flames to push his muscles to better limits), he was in front of Lussuria and promptly grabbed the ring, ripping it off his opponents neck, "But I'm extremely done!" Ending the match as he fixed that half with the one around his neck.

Lussuria stared at the boy before him in astonishment, the speed to sudden to block because he had let his down guard and was playing around with the supposed to be inexperienced boy, "H-how?"

Ryohei was about to give an answer but his eyes widened, jumping behind the man and blocking what could have fatally wounded him. Ryohei glared at the machine/man, fury evident, his arm bleeding from the attack he just blocked. "What the hell?!"

"Erasing the weak; that is one of the reasons why Varia is so strong." Reborn explained, though it was clear he didn't think very highly of that particular rule. Tsuna glared at them, unhappy. Still, she was unable to say anything, it was their organisation and so their rules, even if it didn't sit right with her.

Even so that didn't stop her from cleanly jumping into the ring and snapping her flames in the air, her anger almost palpable. Ryohei standing safety behind her, "What to try that again? You've got some nerve, attacking my people!"

Xanxus watched as the girl who had stood watching her sun element get beaten up in the fight suddenly turn vicious, "You didn't seem bothered when the trash was beating your trash."

Tsuna was about to correct that serious and unacceptable assumption when the cervello jumped in between her line of sight of the man, "The winner is Sasagawa Ryohei. This is the end of tonight's battle but from now on we shall announce the next battle's participants-"

"Voi! Let me fight next!" Squalo cut it.

"Please, let me finish. Tomorrow evening's battle will be the match between the thunder guardians."

Tsuki smirked at Leviathan in a silent challenge.

* * *

 **And done!**

 **We've finally got some action in, yay! And we've got some idea of how Reborn reacts to Iemitsu as well as a little bit about Timoteo too.**

 **My favourite bit was the scene with the elements freaking out over the sealing and then bonding with Reborn over talking about killing the people responsible. Poor Tsuna, she elements are too protective of her! :)**

 **All the ring battles will go differently than the manga or anime. Whether this its a small change or big one... Well, you'll have to wait and see. Some people might lose, some might win that didn't originally. Who knows?**

 **Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter and thank you for the reviews once more. I'll see you next week!**


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter Nineteen

Tsuna waved goodbye to her elements as they went home (after she told Ryohei to heal his wounds but bandage it as if he was still healing and injured), Kyoya not bothering to wait for her, which was fine because Tsunahime really didn't like the idea of needing protection. She knew when she was in over her head and that she needed to call for backup, she wasn't that stubborn, but the idea that she needed to be watched at all times -as if she couldn't be trusted on her own- was suffocating, to put it lightly. She knew how lucky she was that her elements accepted her wishes and adapted accordingly, though it took awhile for Hatayo to fully adapt properly, because of his early involvement/upbringing with the mafia and what he was brought up thinking (mostly about how skies were fragile, needed protecting and -if his early actions were anything to go by- needed everything done for them). It might of helped that Reborn was almost always with her. Her elements seemed to trust the man enough to interfere if he really needed to, regardless of the contract he was currently in. Still, she was glad they left because _he_ was still here.

Tsuna sighed, Reborn's flames comforting her as she felt him draw closer. "Tuna-fish!" Iemitsu shouted as he ran towards her, Tsuna's back facing him, Basil faithfully accompanying him, "You were so cold to your papa yesterday!" Tsuna heard the idiotic man say and felt Reborn shift slightly in annoyance. Not able to show it properly with the object of his annoyance so close. Honestly, the phoenix knows it's sort of Reborn's thing to be indifferent to everything and anything but it must be irritating in this sort of situation.

Reborn bit back a scowl. Did the man-child completely disregard the not quite conversation they had yesterday night? Iemitsu must be delusional. It was the only way to explain something like this. Plus he was acting as if he hadn't be completely absent for most of the sky's -his bambina's- life. Did he not get the whole 'Tsuna hates him because he asked for her to be sealed' thing? Reborn honestly thought it was pretty simple.

Gathering every inch of control she had, Tsuna turned on her heel and was met with her sperm donor's stupid grin. "Iemitsu." she nodded, gritting her teeth, hoping that her tone came off as somewhat neutral at least. Iemitsu grin didn't even falter but Basil at his side sent a confused glance her way so she probably wasn't all that successful. Tsunahime may need to ask Reborn to get some training in order to mask her dislike for people, "What are you doing here?"

"Papa was wondering where your lightning guardian was!" Was he going to constantly refer to himself in third person? Tsuna really hoped not.

Still Tsuna blinked, in slight confusion, tilting her head, "What do you mean?" Tsuki was right there with the group the entire time, she was quite hard to miss given her vampire allure. The allure only really worked on the weak minded and most supernaturals didn't even sense it unless the vampire in question was actively trying to seduce someone. Still, she thought Iemitsu was weak minded and should've been caught in the allure, maybe the Mate bond blocked it? Regardless, Tsuki was the only adult (well, one that looked like an adult) in the group and so should have stood out. Tsunahime knew the man was selectively blind when he wanted to be but she didn't think he was actually blind.

"The Bovino boy, of course. Lambo, I think his name was."

Tsuna took a deep breath, hoping beyond hope that Iemitsu -despite the evidence- didn't just suggest to put a _five year old_ against professional assassins in a deathmatch, all without confidentially knowing said child's name, "He's five year old." Tsunahime said slowly as if speaking to a child. Mentally, she probably was.

"I know."

"I am not putting a five year old in something like this."

"Silly, Tuna-fish" Tsuna twitched at the name and the patronising tone of voice used. He had no right to even _think_ about using such a tone on her, "Lambo is also a mafioso. He's stronger than a normal five year old." She was well aware of that fact. Lambo was a bull demon, after all. However, the fact still reminded that he was a _child_. And if he was human, being stronger than a five year old child wasn't an excuse to say he was perfectly alright entering a battle like this.

Tsuna had already chewed the Bovino famiglia out about it. Said family was a supernatural one but was at least smart enough to keep a low profile after releasing the time-travelling bazooka. A lot of supernaturals were angry about that. It wasn't very unusual for some supernaturals to go into the darker side of the human world but everyone knew you had to keep a low profile if you were going to use your abilities to help you along. If you wanted to make it big than you did it by following the human standards for such things while covering your tracks very, very well. It helped that pretty much everyone wanted to keep humans out of the supernatural business -the witch trials being a reminder of what happened if you got careless, granted not many of them were actually supernaturals (the humans ended up killing more of their own kind in their misguided paranoia) but some still were. After that everyone made sure everyone knew of the consequences and helped cover for each other. Not that they did that out of the kindness of their hearts, of course, as it meant you owned them afterwards.

Needless to say, once the Bovino family found out they were talking to a phoenix who was more than simply angry at them, they were more than happy to give Lambo over to Tsuna. Letting a demon child -no matter how annoying- out unprotected while they were still on thin ice about the bazooka (no one could hold a grudge longer than the supernatural society) meant that a complaint from a phoenix, of all beings, would utterly destroy them.

"He is still a child. I already have another lightning element to fill the spot." she refused to call them guardians, even now.

Iemitsu actually frowned at this, his grin being replaced by a frown, "Lambo has a lot of potential, Tsunahime." finally he was using her name, even if he was attempting to use the I'm-disappointed-in-you-so-you-have-to-listen-to-me voice. Reborn tensed beside her, hang on was he… was he actually attempting to use his flames on her to beat into submission?!

Tsunahime's flames instantly rose in her's and Reborn's defence, creating a solid but invisible wall between them and Iemitsu's flames. Reborn relaxed minutely, his hand stopped twitching to turn Leon into a gun. A dark, dangerous glint entered Tsuna's eyes was she looked upon Iemitsu's shocked expression. Basil completely obvious as to what was going on. Either he was never taught how to sense flames (unlikely given the missions he would need to go on, being the apprentice of the outside advisor) or he knew Iemitsu was doing with his flames and saw nothing wrong with it. Did Iemitsu teach him that or did Iemitsu do this all the time and figured there must be nothing wrong because his 'dear master' was doing it? Both scenarios didn't paint a very good image. "Iemitsu, I will tell you this only once. Stop what you are doing. Right. Now." she growled, threat clear in both her voice and body language. Eyes faintly glowing orange in her anger.

The man-child startled, looking even more surprised, probably not used to people calling him out on it, being linked to the most powerful famiglia (though Tsuna was still questioning that), before slowly pulling his flames back in. At least he understood that with Reborn there he couldn't claim ignorance of his actions. Still, he didn't give in the argument. Not that it was an argument as Iemitsu really had no say as to who she choose to be her elements, "I've been in the mafia for a long time, papa knows what he's saying." Dear God, he was going into third person again…

"I'm sure…" the sarcasm was clear and heavy enough that even a brainless idiot like Iemitsu could pick it up, "However who I pick to be my elements and fight in my stead has nothing to do with you." Sighing, Tsuna tried a smile, manners cost nothing and was pretty important in her culture, even if she was directly them to this imbecile, it was pretty weak but it did its purpose, "Goodnight, Iemitsu, Basil."

Tsunahime walked away, not bothering to wait for a reply.

Iemitsu should be very, _very_ thankful that her mother loved him, holding back her rage was never easy to do in these situations.

* * *

It was raining heavy the next day as they made their way to the arena. Kyoya hadn't come today as it wasn't his battle but Mukuro and Chrome had. Though they were hidden within the shadows as 'protection'. Ryohei, like she asked, looked injured, even making sure his walk had a slight limp as if he had bruised ribs. Everyone had either brought raincoats or umbrellas with them to keep themselves dry. Tsuna brought both, really disliking the rain.

Tsuki, like usual, met them at the door to the arena, she bowed in greeting, "Tsunahime-sama, today's match is going to be held on the roof." The vampire had her Naginata in hand. She didn't usually bother with using her weapon much but Tsuki obviously didn't want to lose and wouldn't make the mistake that Lussuria did by underestimating her opponent.

"The roof? What about the damage that might be caused?"

"The cervello have assured me that any damage can easily be covered up via mist techniques before they are able to fix it. All expenses will be covered by them as well."

Tsuna shrugged, the cervello wasn't technically using another building so it was within the restrictions she put down, and followed Tsuki up to the roof with the others behind her. Once they got to the roof, they saw the battlefield that Tsuki would be using.

On the roof were several lightning rods dotted around. The floor was also covered in wires, connecting the lightning rod together. Apparently, they thought that a lightning element getting hit with lightning was a good way to see which one was better while the two fought each other. Tsunahime, once again, questioned mafia sanity, "What the heck are those?!" shouted Hayato, in surprise. For a moment Tsuna wondered what the storm arena might look like if the lightning one was using actual lightning before deciding it would be better to get through this one first. She didn't want to get grey hairs early.

"This is the combat area for tonight's battle. It has been fitted with lightning rods for the battle between the thunder guardians. The battle ground is called the elettrico circuito." Well, as least the title seems like it'll do what it suggests… Just then, as if on cue, lighting stuck down and hit the lightning rod. It was channeled down to the floor and -just like a circuit- spread out across the floor.

Tsuki glanced around, not looking fazed at all. In fact, she looked intrigued, "Interesting…" Still, Tsuna wondered how lucky the cervello was that the lightning battle was placed on one of the days where there was going to be a lightning storm. Weather forecasts weren't known to be all that reliable.

"Thunder guardian please go to the centre of the battle ground. Your opponent has been waiting for two hours."

"Tsuki yawned, "Maa, I'm on time. I don't care how long the lightning hair has been waiting." Still after bowing to Tsuna, she began to do as she was told, just very slowly, making sure to stop every so often to observe the circuit under her. She was mostly doing it to annoy her opponent. Everyone knew anger is one step away from a mistake, after all. They all looked over to the 'lightning hair' Leviathan who was standing at the edge of the circuit. He was completely drenched and did look like he had been waiting for two hours if angry about Tsuki's attitude.

"Wait, Tsuki!" shouted Takeshi, grabbing her and pulling her into a circle. Hayato already blushing with embarrassment. Reborn was doing what he did last time.

Tsuki immediately pulled away with a scowl, "If you weren't part of Tsumahime-sama's family, I would have bitten you already." she stated irradiated, flashing her fangs for a mere second. Takeshi just laughed, not at all bothered. Tsuki sighed, too lazy to really get angry and really only joking (threatening Tsunahime's family with intent just wasn't done, it was better for everyone that way), before making her way to the centre of the battle ground.

"You may begin!" the cevello announced.

Immediately, lightning stuck, channelling through the rod and onto the ground. Tsuki jumped high into the air. Higher than most humans could jump, with or without a running start, before doing a flip and landing gracefully on the ground once the lightning had stopped channelling. She twirled her Naginata before pointing it at Leviathan and giving a smirk in a clear taunting way.

It seemed Levithan had a short temper because he soon charged, his parabolas moving to attack. They surrounded Tsuki from all angles, and charged with electricity, they attacked. "That lightning woman had a lot of attitude but nothing to back it up with." muttered Mammon.

"Maa, give me some credit." Tsuki said, behind Leviathan, her blade pointed to his neck. Leviathan jumped, dodging the vampire's blade and put distance between them. Tsuki continued to look utterly bored with life.

Xanxus frowned from his throne, leaning forwards slightly, "She's fast…"

Deciding his opponent was too fast to kill normally, (not that he would be able to kill her normally even if he was fast enough to keep up due to her fast regeneration, not that Leviathan knew that) Leviathan sent all of his parabolas to attack at the same time. They dived towards her, the blades gleaming for blood. Tsuki, for her part, actually had to put some amount of effort in to either block or dodge the attacks coming at her.

This continued for some time. Tsuki using her speed to catch Leviathan off guard while he used his greater amount of weapons to overcome her speed as much as he could. Eventually, Leviathan cornered her, or at least that's what he thought.

The parabolas opened, charging even greater electricity than before, from every angle. Once finished, they shot it out at her. The electricity cover such a range that even with the lightning rods taking some of it, it didn't seem to make much of a difference. Leviathan, turned and began to walk back to his group, believing he had won, "Maa, you can't just walk out on a girl. That's rude, you know."

"W-what?!"

Tsuki was completely untouched at the attack. A green, flaming barrier protecting her from the lightning. Tsuna wondered why she was using her barrier when Tsuki could just channel her flames to her skin, harden it instead. Though Tsuki did like using psychology to unnerve her opponent, and the flaming barrier was a lot more striking, "And what professional killer turns their back on someone before checking that their opponent is actually dead?" She raised her naginata, facing the sky, a hole in her barrier formed, allowed electricity to be gathered at the tip. As soon as the lightning disapparated, she pointed her blade at the man and pushed her flames into it, forcing the electricity to move.

The electricity shot forth, hitting the man straight on, the attack too fast to think about dodging. Tsuki looked surprised at her own attack as Leviathan fell back, burnt and completely knocked out, looking at her naginata in a new light, "Huh? That worked better than I thought."

"What is she talking about, Juudaime?" asked Hayato.

It was Tsuki who answered, however, "Maa, I thought if he was using so many attacks that used the lightning around us then I should too. I don't really bother with anything that flashy normally to be honest." Which was a complete lie. Tsuki liked altering her style of attack depending on the type of people she was fighting. If they were easier to frighten with flashier moves then that she what she used. Still, saying something like that would probably make the Varia more wary of them. Who knows, they might even make a mistake. Unlikely, given they _were_ professionals, but it could be a nice bonus on top of freaking them out.

"Did you just do that on the spot?" Reborn questioned.

Tsuki smirked, mocking arrogance lilting her voice, "Of course, Mr Hitman. Surprised?"

Tsuna chuckled, "Despite Tsuki's attitude, she can be quite clever when she wants to be." Not that she was putting a lot of effort in the battle in the first place. Tsuki, while not as old as Bat, was older than anyone here. She was, perhaps, in her seventies. She had a lot more experience in battle to really need to go all out to win.

Anything else they wanted to say was cut short when the cervello announced the next ring battle: The Storm Battle.

* * *

"Boss…"

"I know, baby-trash. Those kids aren't normal." Xanxus, despite his words or perhaps it was because of his words, he had a bloodthirsty grin on his face. No one told him they could use their flames. His Varia members looked at him in shock. When was the last time their boss grinned like that?

"Shishishishi… The prince looks forward to his battle."

"Voi! I wanted to fight next!"

* * *

 **And that's chapter Nineteen done!**

 **We had some Iemitsu screen time with Tsuna talking to him. Now I want to stress that Tsuna will not just explode on Iemitsu (I think I've said this before but I want to say it again) because of the whole Nana thing but also because Iemitsu is apart of the Vongola family. It is the family she is going to be the head of eventually and making enemies of people you are expected to work with isn't very helpful. At least, that's what going on in Tsunahime's head at the moment. The same sort of thought is going on in her head when it comes to Timoteo because he is the current head of the family. Yes, Tsuna is supernatural and is probably stronger than the old man but not everything can be solved with strength and in the mafia 'world' Timoteo is like a king while she is relatively unknown.**

 **She isn't as mad at him then she is with Iemitsu because Iemitsu was the one to ask for the seal but that can and will change later. You all need to remember that Tsuna doesn't really know Timoteo and while she doesn't like the man, that doesn't mean she wants him dead, at the moment.**

 **Also, Tsuki fighting! Was the fight alright? I wasn't completely happy with it (it was too short in my opinion) but I want the battles to be more than "and Tsuna's elements completely overwhelmed their opponents" all the time. It's sort of difficult when one is a vampire, who has years of experience, going against a human. I'm trying to show that while the supernatural are born more powerful, that doesn't mean they will always been more powerful. Reborn, who is human, can beat them when he gets used to their abilities, after all.**

 **I'm glad that everyone is enjoying my story and like the fact that I try and put in character development where I can that makes everyone's loyalty and actions seem believable. I quite like the idea of Reborn spending more time with the other elements (even if its not actually shown, merely summarised though I might do a scene in the future) as in the anime/manga everyone sort of accepted Reborn as someone who was** **always _there_ and liked to train Tsuna without really asking why or getting annoyed by his spartan ways when in the anime the guardians were pretty defensive about canon!Tsuna. **

**Thanks for the reviews guys! Reading them gives me an idea of how you'd like the story to progress. I have the base plot line already figured out but things like "I can't wait to find out when..." lets me who you'd rather see that scene properly or you want to see more of something else. That sort of thing helps me a lot when filling my chapters. So thanks a lot!**


	20. Chapter 20

**So... All of you people are probably wondering why there's a chapter on Friday instead of Saturday. I won't be able to update during the weekend because my cousin is getting married during it so you lucky people get an early chapter! Yay!**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter Twenty

As the group walked home from the lightning battle, it was filled with quiet chatter. Tsuki had already left, Tsuna was insisting she needed to go straight home to get some rest while Mukuro and Chrome had came out of the shadows once again, now that the Varia was away.

In true mist fashion, they decided that they'd continue to stay out of sight during the battles in order to make sure no one could get any information on them (as well as watch out for their elements and sky encase their opponents tried anything). They had already shown themselves during the first confrontation and battle, which in hindsight wasn't the best idea, but they didn't reveal too much about themselves. Mammon probably knew who Mukuro was at this point but Chrome was still unknown. She had never even looked at the mafia before meeting Mukuro and therefore Tsunahime.

Tsuna was humming softly, faintly frowning, which Reborn took immediate notice of, being on the phoenix's shoulder. He sent questioning flames to get her attention quietly. Any sort of hint that something was wrong with their sky and her elements either panicked (though not enough to let their guard down, thankfully), started finding the person responsible to kill or went into 'mother-hen mode' as Tsuna called it. The latter was the most likely one to happen as it was the one that they went into most of the time.

Still, Tsuna didn't even respond, to deep into her own thoughts. Reborn smirked, he tried to do it the easy way but he didn't mind doing it the harder way. The chaos that Tsuna's elements emitted easily was _delicious_ , "Bambina, something wrong?" Reborn asked. His voice seemed to echo over the now completely silent group as they all stood to attention. All their eyes turned to study their sky. The effect was more than a little creepy, considering they all did it synced somehow. Reborn wondered if that was how people felt when he decided to sleep with his eyes open.

Tsuna blinked, as if physically startling herself into the present and smiled a tad sheepishly at everyone's worried faces (some were more masked than others however), "Ah, my apologies… I was just thinking, that's all." she reassured.

Takeshi laughed in his light hearted way, "Thinking about what, Tsuna?" It was clear his worry wasn't at all abated if he was questioning her. His form had yet to relax from tensing earlier.

"The next battle won't be as easy as the previous two." she answered

"Don't worry, Juudaime. I've been training!" comforted Hayato.

"Ah, I don't doubt that, Hayato. I know you've been putting your all in and are getting stronger, however because of Tsuki they now know we can use flames or at least they will take that into account when they fight us." Not that she blamed Tsuki in any way. Tsuna never put any restriction on how they fought apart from making sure their opponents didn't think they were not human, so she didn't do anything wrong.

Reborn nodded, understanding where she was going, "They won't underestimate us like they did before so we won't be able to hold back as much." Tsuna smiled brightly at him. She looked more happy than she should, given his statement, Reborn wondered why before focusing on the conversation.

"Kufufufu… However, they still believe us to be children and human ones at that. Their pride will get in the way, stopping them from going all out of us." informed Mukuro with a sly smile, Chrome nodding shyly by his side. It was a testament of how she was coming along by willingly adding her own opinion in without being asked, even if it was only a nod.

"That's extremely right! We just need to give it our extreme all!" Ryohei fight pumped, still so full of energy despite it was now nearing the early hours of the morning. Tsuna wondered how he let himself relax enough to be able to sleep.

Tsuna smiled, "I suppose worrying about it won't solve anything. Still, I'm giving you all an order." Tsunahime paused for a moment and watched as everyone turned their full attention to her, expressions serious, "I don't care if you lose, none of you are allowed to die, understood?"

Hayato grinned, eyes full of admiration and loyalty, "Understood, Juudaime!"

"Haha, you got it, Tsuna!"

"That goes without saying, right, my dear Chrome?"

Chrome shuffled slightly before standing with a straight back, determination shining, "O-of course, Mukuro-sama."

Mukuro patted the owl-girl on her head, approving, before looking back at his sky with a smirk, "Though it'll take more than some, in Kyoya-chan's words, 'fake carnivores' to take us down."

Reborn smiled as the conversation soon grew more light hearted before bidding goodbye to the other family members. It was only when he had finally settled down to sleep, once more being used as a teddy bear, that Reborn realised he had included himself when referring to the family for the conversation. Even worse was the fact that it was instinctive and Tsuna had probably picked up on it considering she smiled extra bright at him afterwards.

Reborn supposed he really didn't mind being included in such a chaotic family.

* * *

Once again, Tsuna and the others were at the arena in the dead of night. This time it seemed that they were going to be partaking in the fight indoors. Which was a relief to Tsuna because given the last fight involved lightning strikes, she thought Hayato would somehow be fighting in a storm or something equally outrageous. However, instead of using the big arena space on the bottom floor, they were using the upper level which was full of multiple rooms, which Reborn and Tsuna used to spar in every so often.

Hayato, by the way, was dressed slightly differently for the upcoming fight. He had multiple places to store his dynamite. Well, more obvious places. Tsuna really didn't know how he was able to seemingly hide infinite dynamite in his clothes without it looking strange or obvious but then again she also didn't know how Lambo managed to, not only store multiple grenades in his hair, of all places, but also a bazooka. Tsunahime had just decided that she just wasn't meant to learn some things. Hayato also had bandages wrapped around his chest and hands. Luckily, he came to Tsuna before the match so she and Ryohei (though mostly Ryohei because he actually knew what he was doing instead of it being instinctive) healed him up of any training injuries. Hayato was getting better at asking her for things and relying on his other family members if he couldn't do something alone.

It was something Tsuna wholeheartedly approved of and made sure Hayato knew that everytime he did it.

Hayato's opponent was Belphegor. He was the blonde-haired teenager whose hair covered his eyes. Tsuna had yet to see him without a smirk or grin of some kind. If Tsuna remembered correctly, he could use both knives and wires as his weapons of choice so both storm elements were mid-range fighters, though Belphegor could use close combat if he didn't throw his knives.

"Now then, we will explain the next battlefield. The battle ground for tonight is this entire floor of the arena."

"Why do I get the feeling that whatever is going on will destroy the entire floor?" muttered Tsuki under her breath.

"Of course that includes the rooms located within the floor." Hayato nodded, pleased. That meant they'd be a lot of obstacles in the way, which would be good for his fighting style. Plus he worked in the arena. He knew his way around a lot more than Belphegor would, he could use that to his advantage. "However…" Hayato's eyes widened with everyone else's as part of the hallway they were in suddenly collapsed as a great burst of wind tore everything to treads. Everyone blinked in shock at the amount of damage it left behind. "In various places, we have installed this hurricane turbine." they belatedly explained.

Tsuna almost groaned. Maybe she spoke too soon about the whole storm thing. One of the cervello women (telling one from the other was impossible without the use of flames or good sense of smell) wheeled out a hurricane turbine to show everyone. "What is a hurricane turbine?" asked Hayato, keeping the nervousness out of his voice.

"The hurricane turbine has four openings used to produce wind. It's a storm device that can blow a super strong wind randomly from the four openings." explained the first cervello.

"If that wind hits directly it could extremely break your bones!" informed Ryohei, subtly telling Hayato that even with his demonic nature he wouldn't be able to take a hit from it directly without coming out with injuries.

"That's over doing it…" muttered Takeshi, looking at Hayato worriedly. Those two had a strange teasing/fighting relationship but it was obvious that they were close, no matter how much Hayato tried to deny it.

"Hey!" Tsuki shouted, gaining the cervello attention, needing something else to focus her attention. These cervello women obviously didn't know they were playing with fire. If one of Tsunahime-sama's elements came out injured from something that didn't have anything to do with their opponents... Well, the phoenix would _not_ be happy. At least with the other ridiculous things they installed, you could avoid them if you were careful, this relied more on luck, "You better be paying for all these damages because I'm not!" Tsuki was the manager of the arena and that did mean having to manage the finances in some way -at the very least, knowing the budget. The paperwork alone would be horrendous. Mammon, surprisingly (or maybe it wasn't so surprising given what Reborn stated about the other baby's personality) nodded in approval.

"Rest assured, all damages will be paid for and fixed by the time the rings battle have ended." answered the cervello twins before continuing the explanation, "This battle also has a time limit. Unless either of the two opponents are able to complete the storm ring within fifteen minutes, the time bomb installed in the turbines will go off one by one and explode the whole floor."

Tsunahime frowned, her calm temporarily broken, bloodlust simmering just beneath the surface. Judging by the looks from the Varia and the so called Judges, she couldn't suppress it very well. Normally, she was good at controlling her emotions or at least able to keep them off her face but the stress of the all these situations were wearing on her. Her 'father' was coming out of the shadows after all these years and when he does, he brings with him all of _this_.

The only reason she was so calm throughout the matches was because she knew when to step back and let her elements go about their own way. She would never hold them, chain them to her against their will. They all willingly went into the battles knowing what was at stake, knowing they could die but did so anyway. So, Tsuna trusted them and let them 'prove' themselves in these fights. However, this time limit was ridiculous. She understood why it was there. Sometimes in a fight you may be in a rushed situation that restricts the amount of time you can stay in one place, or they might be an actual bomb as they were involved with the mafia now. However, these battles were for some rings that Tsuna, quite frankly, couldn't care less about. She was only in this fight because her elements wanted some decent fights and they believed she'd be a better boss than this Xanxus could be.

The more she thought on it, the more angry Tsuna became. Her bloodlust was slowly but surely raising in conjunction with her thoughts. She only snapped out of it when Reborn (quite rudely, may she say) smacked her around the head. He seemed to like doing that. Tsuna, aware of her opponents watching her and so no weakness was allowed to be seen, only blinked at the smack though her bloodlust did die down.

Tsuna smiled calmly once more, it was quite disturbing to the Varia (and also the cervello) who had -not moments ago- sensed her killer intent slowly raise till it put even them on edge, "Ah, my apologies, Varia and Cervello. I do not take kindly to people who directly or indirectly threaten my Own with senseless rules."

Xanxus smirked, this kid was becoming more and more interesting as time went on. The other kids too for clearly sensing the bloodlust coming from their leader but hardly reacting. In fact, they seemed to feel safer if their body language was to go by anything.

After once more forming a circle, Hayato went to the centre of the hallway, Belphegor facing him. "By the way," started one of the cervello, "because this area is so large, we've installed cameras in every room. We've also installed an infrared ray sensor between the viewing area and the battle area."

"I've heard you use bombs… Well I suppose it's obvious looking at you." Belphegor began walking towards Hayato but he scowled and put distance between them once again. Belphegor frowned (or at least he looked like he was though half of his face was covered), "No need to be scared."

Hayato's scowl deepened, a small, animalistic growl echoing from his throat gaining a surprised look from Belphegor, such a sound shouldn't really be able to come from a human throat, "Scared?" Hayato spat, "Do I look like I'm enough of an idiot to let a professional killer near me then we're just about to fight?"

Belphegor, instead of looking annoyed that whatever plan he had failed, looked pleased by the recognition he gained from his opponent despite being the youngest (not counting Mammon, though no one really did count Mammon) of the group. Most people looked down at him, thinking him weaker than the others. He got it enough times by others in the mafia and sometimes from the newbies in the Varia. Those people never really lasted, however, being full of knives as they were, shortly after. Squalo always got on his case afterwards about killing people they weren't paid to kill. Like he was suppose to care about that. He was a prince. It was below him to think on such things.

"Then for the ring of the storm. Belphegor vs Gokudera Hayato. Begin the match!"

Instantly, Hayato threw a bomb in the blond's direction before jumping back to observe. He couldn't really do that, however, as knives soon surrounded him, flying at him in all directions. Well, all directions apart from up so Hayato jumped, hanging on to a ceiling light for a moment before dropping back down again.

"I advise you not to play any tricks. Do you know who your opponent is?" mocked Belphegor as the smoke of the bomb cleared.

Hayato tched at him and threw multiple bombs, shouting out, "Triple bomb!" in his frustration. Tsuna reminded herself to let Hayato know that while having a name for an attack was convenient when you wanted to explain things, shouting it out in battle just give away your position.

Belphegor merely stepped back and allowed the wind that suddenly shot out from the hidden turbine to blow the bombs harmlessly away from him, "As a guardian of the storm, of course I'm sensitive to wind." Belphegor wasn't called a genius for nothing, apparently.

Hayato though, didn't seem all that bothered about his wasted attack. True, he couldn't read the wind like Belphegor could but as a half-dog demon it granted him a good sense of smell. With that his opponent couldn't hide from him and he would be able to tell where he was at all times. Plus he knew this area so with that in mind, Hayato ran into a room near him, diving behind a cardboard on his left.

"Oh playing and hide? That's the prince's favorite game~" Belphegor had seen him enter the room and followed after him, looking around… but the Smokin' Bomb wasn't anywhere to be found. Belphegor frowned in confusion.

* * *

"Voi! Where is he?!" shouted Squalo, back in the viewing room.

Tsuki smirked, taunting the loud swordsman, "Didn't you listen when Tsunahime-sama said this was our home turf?" Honestly, this was one of the main gathering areas for the supernatural, it made sense that they'd install hiding spots, fail safes and secret passages encase something happened.

Now the storm just needed to use them properly.

* * *

Hayato glanced out of his hiding spot, in the vent above the wardrobe that was in the same room, thankful for all the times Mukuro was a chaotic idiot along with Reborn (not that he would ever called _Reborn_ an idiot, he didn't want to die early) and forced him to go into hiding to avoid the pranks they played on the other family members. He threw his rocket bomb, not bothering to call it out encase it give away his hiding spot. Hayato didn't wait to see the damage his attack caused and crept back into the vent as silently as he could.

Belphegor felt the wind move shift as the bombs flew towards him but once again didn't bother dodging, believing the wind would take care of it. He was wrong. These bombs had gunpowder at the bottom, allowing Hayato to change their direction twice, if needed. Hayato learned that apparently the reason why Belphegor went insane at seeing his blood was because it reminded him of his twin brother, whom he killed... He could have done without that information (seriously, he didn't even ask for it) but it at least gave him time to think.

Belphegor couldn't stop laughing, even as he tried to find his opponent. Hayato hiding, however, seemed to only make the genius more angry, more frustrated, despite his constant insane laughing (Mukuro would be proud of the amount of insanity this kid could put into his laugh). Still, it wasn't like Hatayo could stay there with the time limit counting down and throwing more bombs showed that despite his injuries the self-proclaimed prince's reflexes improved enough to be able to dodge them. Becoming insane helped with that, apparently, maybe Mukuro did have the right idea. Hayato mentally snorted to himself, now was not the time for those type of thoughts and got himself back on track. He couldn't use his flames either, he'd only just started learning how to use them to the level of a demon (which was better than the level that a human could reach without instruction, sure, but Hayato still counted it as incomplete) and Hayato knew better than to use an attack that hadn't been tested in an actual battle situation. That could just as easily get him killed than help him and he didn't want to risk it with this sort of opponent, who was more in his messed up head than the battle. His demon form was out for the obvious reason as well.

…

He had two options.

Either he followed this approach of attack and hide, hoping that he'd get a lucky shot in. At the same time, however, Belphegor might be able to draw him out into the open. At that point, he'd be very dead or, from what Hayato got from his character, tortured then dead. And that was unacceptable given his sky's orders.

The second option was obvious. He could forfeit. It was the safer option, sure, but he'd be the first one to lose a battle. To lose a ring. His pride wouldn't be able to take that, Hayato knew. However… his sky gave an order to come out of the battles alive and his sky was worth more than his pathetic pride.

Hayato tched at himself, before ripping the ring violently off his neck and throwing at the knife wielder, who caught it on instinct rather than thought. "I forfeit." he announced, clearly, dropping down from the vent in the ceiling.

* * *

 **And done!**

 **How did it go? I hoped that was believable with Hayato's character. He has a lot self-worth than canon!Hayato had, which isn't much, but the point still stands. Tsuna gave him an order to come back alive in no uncertain terms and I believe that Hayato would obey his sky over his own feelings. Did you like the fight? Because it's in an area that Hayato knows well and it being a place for supernatural to gather, I figured it wasn't too strange to have hidden pathways.**

 **We also got a little, tiny scene with Reborn! All these little things add up in the long run so even if it isn't big and long, it makes a difference.**

 **Thanks for the reviews like always. Well done to all those that Hayato would forfeit the fight! Thank you** **Shiko-Rae and Foxluna for your comments! I can't really say about what will be going on in the future chapters, so I can't confirm nor deny what will happen or if you were correct about the prediction you made. I can say the whole 'BTW we're not human' thing will be a gradual reveal. They'll get hints of it throughout the chapters, where they'll either try to justify it with something else or be genuinely confused before one big, 'Aha' moment.**

 **Once again thanks and see ya next time!**


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter Twenty One

 _Either he followed this line of attack and hide, hoping that he'd get a lucky shot in. At the same time, however, Belphegor might be able to draw him out into the open. At that point, he'd be very dead or, from what Hayato got from his character, tortured then dead._

 _The second option was obvious. He could forfeit. It was the safer option, sure, but he'd be the first one to lose a battle. To lose a ring. His pride wouldn't be able to take that, Hayato knew. However… his sky gave an order to come out of the battles alive and his sky was worth more than his pathetic pride._

 _Hayato tched at himself, before ripping the ring violently off his neck and throwing at the knife wielder, who caught it on instinct. "I forfeit." he announced, clearly, dropping down from the vent in the ceiling._

* * *

It was silent for a moment as everyone processed that. The Cervello soon announced the victory, but Hayato wasn't really listening to that, or anything really, as he slowly walked back to his family. A family whom he had failed.

He had _failed_ his family…

Hayato didn't once raise his head, shame in every action, as he reached Tsunahime. How could he call himself Tsuna's element, a right hand-man (even if he hadn't really shown his interest to be one because Hayato had soon learnt that Tsuna never put one element above the other and he wasn't the first element she had. It felt wrong to say he was Tsunahime's right hand man if he wasn't with her from the start) or even a friend? He was given everything he dreamed of and even more that he didn't know he wanted before it was right in front of him (he had always dreamt of the sky to belong in but never the other elements surrounding it. He would not replace any of them for the world though he'd never say that out of his own mind) but couldn't even win his sky a ring?

He was pathetic.

Because he didn't raise his head, he was completely unaware of the happy, relieved expressions of his family members as they looked upon his slightly injured and battered form that was still breathing and alive. Hayato bowed to the waist, eyes screwed shut as he felt tears gather at the edge of them, "Forgive me, Juudaime. I… I couldn't win!" Hayato shouted, disgusted with himself.

Tsuna chuckled, bringing her hands to rest on the half-dog demon's shoulders, who's head shot up at the motion, "Forgive you? What exactly am I forgiving for?"

Hayato blinked, confusion breaking through his self-hate for a moment before it covered his expression once again, Juudaime must be so angry with him that she wanted him to actually voice his failures, "I… I lost. I couldn't get you a ring like I promised I would."

Tsunahime nodded, "Yes, you lost." she agreed, Hayato's head hung once again, "But did I not give you an order to come out of these battles alive?"

"W-well…"

"You observed your options and the outcomes that would take place calmly in the face of danger and decided that there was no way you could win, forfeiting. You probably could have won, if you sacrificed your life. You knew this and decided that you would instead forfeit. You shoved aside your pride in favor for following my orders." Tsuna smiled, well aware how difficult that must have been for her storm, "I've never been so proud of you." Her voice came out strong in its certainty, never wavering as pure warmth laced her tone.

Hayato raised his head once more, locking his eyes with that of his sky's. Hayato couldn't look away from them, trapped within the brown, almost glowing orange, orbs. He saw the truth within them and couldn't stop the way his eyes watered before getting ahold of himself, "J-Juudaime… I… Thank you." he said sincerely, voice barely a whisper. He didn't need to speak louder, his family heard him clearly and that was what mattered.

Takeshi laughed, putting his arm over the bomber's shoulders, "What are you thanking her for? You were just following Tsuna's orders."

"You were extreme, octopus-head!"

"Who are you calling 'octopus-head', tuft-top!?" Hayato shouted, easily changing his happy (so, so happy), relieved and shocked feelings into anger that spoke of experience. He wasn't quite sure how to deal with them, these feelings, at the moment and so shoved them aside til he could sort them out in private.

He didn't need to deal with them now, covered in the warmth and comfort that was his family. Not one of blood, true, but nonetheless real. He had all the time he wanted to settle into this life, a life that he once thought was out of his reach (and still does, but he will try to find what his sky and fellow elements see in him. Hayato will aspire to be as good as they believed him to be). A life that, he thought, was too bright for someone like him. Slowly but surely, he was changing his mind.

His family thought him deserving of them so he will be worthy enough for them.

* * *

Xanxus sat, watching the scene quietly. He couldn't hear all of it, being too far away but he got the jist of it. Those kids weren't so bad. It wasn't often you'd find bosses or even skies that cared that much about their people. Most skies, nowadays, had trophy guardians that they would use to show off their supposed power but then quickly throw away if they found a better replacement or the guardian failed in whatever task the sky/boss had set for them.

Xanxus did, despite popular opinion, care for his guardians. Though he knew he had a weird way of showing it. If he wasn't so hard to his guardians then others would take that as a weakness and use it against him. If people thought he couldn't care less about his people they wouldn't attack them in order to get to him. To be honest, he didn't expect almost everyone to eat it up so well because while he was a wrath he was still a sky. A sky bonding with a guardian effected both sides if it was a solid bond regardless of the wrath quality he had. It seemed that the rumours about how violent he was as a child (and still was, to be fair) made people think he didn't even have a scarp of heart. Xanxus was more that happy to help that assumption along.

While he did set Gola Mosca to attack Lussuria if he lost, the attack wouldn't have been fatal due to the sun's control over his flames. Lussuria, for his part, was staying in the secure hotel they were staying in in order to keep up the deception. Though the sun was still badly hurt, he could have attended the battles if he pushed himself. Leviathan was badly bunrt but he was still alive, however annoying his lightning was with his almost god worship.

Though, Xanus thought as he looked he the mini-trash's storm, who appeared to have somehow grown dog ears and tail with stars in his eyes as he gazed at his sky, maybe he didn't have it as bad as it could be.

* * *

000"Since the ring of the storm was been obtained by Belphegor," started the cervello, "The victory of this match goes to the Varia."

"Voi! What a laughable ending!" shouted Squalo, laughter and annoyance in his voice. While, he could see the point in backing away and forfeiting when it was clear the opponent was stronger than the other, he wanted to see a proper battle rather than that hide and seek was not nearly enough blood in that battle and given Belphegor's expression he thought the same. Not surprising as the 'prince' liked to play with his targets before killing them.

"Then I will announce the next match. Tomorrow's next battle will be between the guardians of the rain!"

"Voi! Finally, I've been waiting for this moment. Let's have some fun, katana-brat!" Squalo smirked, looking at the other rain in the area, "Don't run away."

"Run away?" Takeshi echoed, his smile held more edge than usual, his eyes, steel, "A sword can't retreat, only attack." Squalo grinned viciously at the boy's answer.

* * *

Takeshi walked a little in front of the group, his bamboo sword resting lightly on his shoulder the next night. He looked up, seeing Squalo as he jumped down from the ledge he had sat on, "Voi! You didn't run away. I'll make fish kebab out of you."

Takeshi grinned, his sword humming in excitement so loudly in his mind that he thought the sword might start vibrating in his hand or actually gain a voice to show its excitement more verbally, "I can't let you do that." He swung his sword, bamboo falling away to reveal the cold, hard steel beneath, "We'll take you down."

Squalo blinked in shock that he managed to cover up at the last second, did that bamboo sword just turn into _steel_?! Why the hell was no one saying anything about that?! He thought the flames were the only thing he needed to worry about in the mafia (apart from his boss and the Vindice, but that goes without saying), than again it was well known that Reborn's chameleon could shape-shift (which was also pretty strange but Mammon's frog was weird as well. He asked why the frog was like that once but the miser charged him a ridiculous price for the information. Squalo decided it wasn't worth it),so maybe it was something that the Sun Arcobaleno made?

The cervello jumped down, from wherever they were hiding, "This battle with be held in the private arena room 13. Please start making your way there."

Tsuna frowned faintly, that room was the strongest room the Arena owned. It was completely sealed (even to the point that they needed to set up machines to make sure there was always oxygen in the room so others didn't die of suffocation) and was mostly used for people whose power were too strong to mask in the other rooms. Tsuna had to use that room everytime she went into her full phoenix form and so did Kyoya and Mukuro if they went into their full demon forms.

Still, she followed the Cervello and Squalo as they led the way to the room. It seemed that Cervello couldn't tell that the room was already as sealed it was going to get, though that was done by using many different supernatural abilities so that was only fair that they didn't know, she supposed, because they went even further in the quest of making that room a fortress. They had adding multiple bolts to the door, reinforcing it with steel. They walked forward, opening the door soundlessly, while listening to the sound of water. The crash of waves and the faint dripping of water. Whatever was happening in that room messed around with the water, that was for certain.

The room was completely wrecked as Tsuki was no doubt silently fuming about as they took in the sight. Water was dripping down from the level above (the roof having been destroyed in the cervello's quest of making more and more obscure battlefields), a lot of it already on the bottom floor, which was slowly raising as time went on. "This is the battleground for the battle of the rain: Aquarion." began the cervello as the two groups looked around, taking in the sights, "It's special features consist of two floors with water cascading through them. The water will slowly fill the room. Said water has been specially modified to match the consistency of seawater. When the water reaches a certain height, a ferocious sea beast will be released."

Tsuna was somewhat glad that this wasn't her battleground because while she could deal with water, she'd rather not if she had the choice. Tsuna twitched slightly, her cloud's flames floating around her lightly in greeting. Kyoya was probably watching from somewhere close by today (though Tsuna made sure to inform about what happened in all the battles before she went to bed, even if the stubborn, prideful wolf didn't ask. He still waited around for her to tell him after she returned which good enough as a request from him, his own subtle way of making sure his pack was okay without needing to actually show he was capable of caring). Perhaps it was because he taught/bitten to death Takeshi and wanted to see his progress? Still, as Tsuna looked around, she figured she could let him remain hidden. He probably wanted to avoid the circle that he was included in the first time like Mukuro was doing.

Tsuna sent her own flames in greeting as well before allowing them to settle around Reborn when he sent a questioning look to her in order to reassure him silently. He'd be able to sense the cloud if he got curious and tried but Kyoya was still just out of immediate radius so that no one could sense him unless they were looking for him. Tsunahime could only sense him because she was bonded to him and would instinctively reach out to him.

"Then, would the guardians of the rain please gather in the centre. In addition, because of the submission, would the others please leave the room and go down to the main arena. A screen will be projected on the wall."

Everyone offered words of encouragement to the rain element before leaving. Takeshi smiling his usual carefree grin at them before walking further into the room, his sword still showing steel because of the lack of blood it had tasted. He was looking forward to this fight. With his family watching the screen they saw how his grin gained more edge and sharpness, eyes seemingly gleaning in the dimly lit room as he walked further into the battleground. Takeshi was really looking forward to the fight.

Squalo grinned once the boy came into view. This one was a killer, he knew, and it only excited him more. He wasn't able to test the boy's ability fully the last time they fought but what he saw spoke of a skilled swordsman, "Voi! You better gave it your all brat or I'll kill you!"

Takeshi grinned, "Haha, don't worry my sword will taste your blood."

"Now for the battle for the ring of rain between Superbi Squalo vs Yamamoto Takeshi… Begin!"

Not even a moment passed before Squalo launched himself, sword swinging. Takeshi saw his attack clearly and dodged easily. While Takeshi wasn't expecting the gunpowder that came out of his opponent's blade, he didn't let that overtake his reflexes and dodged calmly., his movements flowing like water It'd take more than that to let his guard down. Once the water and smoke cleared, Takeshi looked around for his opponent but couldn't see Squalo. He stretched his human senses as far as he could, allowing his superior instinct to guide him.

Takeshi suddenly turned, meeting Squalo's blade and defending himself. "Voi! If you thought that was my real strength… Big mistake! Die!" he swung down with more power, Squalo grinned and waited for the smoke to clear, not believing he had won so easily, after all that boy seemed strong and underestimating these kids weren't an option. Lussuria and Leviathan made that painfully clear.

Except the smoke didn't clear like he expected in fact it seemed to be hovering around Takeshi, who was drenched in water, though the water haven't risen enough for him to be soaked naturally, "Seventh defensive form: Spraying Rain." Takeshi spoke softly, not a mark on him. He looked like he had taken a stroll in the rain rather than being in the middle of a death match.

"Voi! What was that?!" Takeshi breathed out a sigh, swinging his sword in front of him, clearing the rest of the smoke with apparent ease, "Voi! Don't ignore me!" Squalo charged to him faster than before.

Takeshi remained level-headed, his recent fights with Hibari made it difficult to panic. After all, Takeshi had fought both him and those in the arena. He may not have been fighting (real-life battles, he means, because he had been training with his sword since he could walk) for as long as to others have but that didn't mean he was completely inexperienced. He let his sword hum reassuringly in his head as he dipped it into the water before slashing upwards with it. The water following his movements like a puppet attached to strings, "Second defensive form: Rolling Rain." Still, Squalo didn't stop and merely slashed his blade through the surge of water that defended Takeshi. It didn't hit him however, the water obscuring his form too much, creating an illusion of his figure.

Squalo, instead of being deterred, looked pleased, losing himself in the thrill of a fight as he taunted, "Voi! Why didn't you attack after defending?! You really are an idiot!"

Takeshi grinned lightly, "Haha, you really do talk big, don't you?" His steel gaze sharpened into something even more deadly, "Let me make this clear, this isn't all there is to the Shigure Souen style." He raised his sword and charged forward. Squalo's eyes widened at the speed, moving to block the attack but Takeshi's sword wasn't in his hand anymore. He dropped it before catching it with his other hand, slashing outwards, "Fifth offensive form: Early summer rain." Squalo went flying backwards with the force emitted from the attack. Takeshi frowned though, raising his sword, pointing it at the man lying on the floor, "Get up. My sword didn't hit."

Squalo grinned and did as asked, "Voi! Is that all there is to your so called invincible style?"

Takeshi grinned, "Not at all." He could feel his loyal blade grow more bloodthirsty as time went on. He's used all these attacks but hasn't drawn a single drop of blood yet. It was both frustrating and pleasing, the excitement in his blood rising with every second this battle was prolonged for, "The longer this fight goes on for, the stronger we'll become."

Squalo looked confused for a moment before deciding to attack, there was no point thinking on something he didn't get. He couldn't be detracted in the middle of a fight, that would be a rookie move.

* * *

Reborn shifted in place slightly, his version of confusion with the Varia so close by, "What does he mean?" Everyone was aware of the Varia listening in.

Tsuna hummed softly, "It's how Takeshi is. He hasn't drawn a single drop of blood yet and that tends to make him restless. For as long as the battle goes on he'll slowly become stronger, more bloodthirsty. Only then does his true skills show." It was the price of wielding a cursed sword. While it does give the wielder a lot more power if they can control it well enough, it also tends to make the wielder bloodthirsty, even if it's not in their nature. Most of the cursed sword wielders tend to be driven crazy with their own bloodlust, killing without thought, until someone kills them or they die of exhaustion. Takeshi's line, however, was different in the way that their very bodies had adapted to this change with their prolonged use of the weapons, so they got very little backlash and were able to control their bloodlust with enough willpower and experience with a lot more ease than others would have.

"Shishishi, the prince likes the sound of that."

"But that trash looks so weak." Xanxus pointed out. He didn't looked weak but he looked naive and that was pretty much the same thing to Xanxus and the rest of his guardians.

Tsuna grinned at him, completely friendly which still confused him, weren't they supposed to be enemies? Didn't the mini-trash understand that? You don't do friendly with enemies, the mini-trash apparently didn't get that memo, "He does look pretty clueless, right? If he wasn't born a rain, he'd be born a mist."

Mammon looked interested at that statement, understanding the veiled answer as did the others. The rain's attitude was a mask, an expertly crafted one, given his obvious youth. Mammon could pick out the cracks now that it was pointed out and the brat was in battle, one he couldn't hold back in. Eyes flashing with experience and intelligence. Smile, widening into something more wild and feral that the rain would be completely at home with the Varia. His sword arm twitching with less thought and more instinct and muscle memory. This was not the attitude of a naive brat but a trained swordsman that had gained his skill through blood, sweat and tears. Though perhaps the naive brat side was not a complete mask, as Mammon knew that the best lies were laced with the truth. Still, it was enough to gain the Varia's attention, well, more of their attention. He, along with his sky and fellow guardians began watching the battle more closely.

* * *

Attack. Dodge. Defend. Attack.

The pattern continued, either willing to back down to the other. Both looked like they were really enjoying the battle, despite it being a deathmatch. Both were throwing techniques and skills down that would make other swordsmen green with jealousy.

Squalo, however, was getting concerned even with the excitement powering through his veins. He didn't show it on his face but there was something unnatural when he fought with the Katana-brat. He was slowly getting stronger, like the kanata-brat said he would, the sword slicing through the air was getting sharper and stronger than before. Squalo also wondered why the brat was referring to himself as 'we' instead of 'me'. It was like he thought his sword was a living being and apart of him in a sense.

And his sword…

He felt like the longer this battle was going on the more he was being pushed in a corner he wouldn't be able to get out of. The sword within the boy's hands felt strange to his senses. It felt like it was a barely chained beast about to break free to completely destroy him, to tear him limb from limb. He hadn't felt like this since fighting Xanxus for the first time and even then the feeling he was getting was slowly beginning to feel worse. It was getting stronger, that much, was obvious.

Both were completely covered in the water that their attacks had used, but either had been able to get a solid hit on each other apart from scratches too shallow to draw even the hint of blood. Too evenly matched, "That Shigure Souen style of yours… I've already defended it long ago." revealed Squalo, hoping that a physcology battle might give him an opening and to (though he'd never admit it) reassure himself. He didn't understand what was wrong. This battle should be one sided. He had already seen the style the kanata-brat uses, and said brat was… well… a brat. Squalo had a lot more experience than this kid and should be able to use it against him. So, why was he feeling like he was playing a game of cat and mouse, except he was the mouse instead of the cat?

Squalo then went on into a monologue in the _middle of a battle_ (seriously wasn't this guy supposed to be a professional? Maybe it was a Varia thing because Belphegor did the same thing) describing how he went around the world, searching of masters of the sword to defeat in order to defeat the sword emperor. He eventually found a master of the Shigure Souen style and his two apprentices though killed them easily after witnessing their forms.

Takeshi didn't seemed the least bit concerned about this, however, as his grin was still in place for everyone to see, never wavering, as he answered in a voice that spoke of his complete certainty, "I've never heard of such a thing. The Shigure Souen style that I've learnt is completely flawless and invincible."

"Voi! Are you an idiot?"

Takeshi merely laughed in that lighthearted way of his, "A sword's job is to cut until his opponent lays dead." He didn't need to think beyond that and protecting his family.

Squalo frowned, there it was again. Takeshi referred to himself as a sword so simply. It was as if he didn't think of himself as human. It was beginning to unnerve him how the boy could so easily laugh when facing someone in a life or death match despite being so young (Bel could do it, sure, but Bel wasn't what anyone would call sane, even in the Varia). He seemed to be taking it seriously but there was something else in his tone that he just couldn't describe, "I'm done holding back." he couldn't afford to.

Squalo charged as Takeshi put his sword to the side like he was sheathing it before charging towards him as well, "I know that stance! Do it then! The autumn rain!"

"Eighth offensive form: Pouring rain." Takeshi slashed at Squalo who wasn't expecting that attack and got hit, badly. The older swordsman fell back, the water slashing around him.

Shigure Kintoki could finally taste the blood it had yearned for.

"Wha...What?" Squalo muttered as he fell, blood coming out from his mouth. Soon fury filled him as a replacement for his confusement, "Voi! Did you just use a style other than the Shigure Souen style?!"

"No." Takeshi grinned, watching the blood on his sword drip off and into the water with morbid curiosity, "That just now was also the Shigure Souen style."

"B-but-!"

"The eighth form: Pouring rain was created by my dad."

* * *

Hayato and Ryohei looked confused so Reborn _graciously_ explained it for them, "For the Shigure Souen to undergo succession is to undergo change."

"Change?" question Ryohei.

Reborn shifted slightly to get more comfortable on Tsuna's shoulder, a hand resting on the nape of her neck, Tsuna still watching Takeshi's fight intently, though she was half listening to the conversation encase they needed her input, "It's likely that Takeshi's dad and the successor that Squalo defeated learned from the same master and afterwards they went to create the eighth form."

"But they used the same name…" protested Hayato, "Wouldn't they call it something different?"

"The successors of the Shigure Souen style carry on the forms handed down by their predecessor. Then they create new forms to pass on to their own apprentices."

"But following that line of thinking wouldn't there be lots of this style around with countless new forms?" question Hayato, his genius intelligence shining through with his curiosity.

"Quite the opposite actually. The fact that the style hasn't died out is some form of miracle." Or had something to do with cursed swords, mentally added Reborn, "It's an all or nothing severe type of succession. Change consists not only of progression but of regression as well. To become the strongest of them all is also to become the target of the strong. Therefore the Shigure Souen style is a style that, when successors with the requisite spirit and talent can no longer be found, is fated to disappear from this world. It's a sword of ruin." finished Reborn.

* * *

"Voi! I didn't expect you to get this far." Squalo stood, careful of his wounds but not letting that stop him, "However, I've seen through your pouring rain now."

Takeshi grinned, Squalo really was like a shark, constantly looking for blood. Not that Takeshi could rightly say anything about that, of course. They were quite similar in some ways now that Takeshi thought about it. Despite trying to kill each other, Takeshi found that he liked Squalo, he wondered if Tsuna wouldn't mind him seeking the other rain out again for a spar or two. After this whole ring battle thing was over though, because it seemed important. Well, the kid who was not a kid said it was important and Reborn knew what he was talking about when it came to the mafia more than Hayato or Tsuna did, "You really are something else, I guess there's nothing for it. Then I'll show it to you." Takeshi raised his blade above his head in the familiar stance of baseball, "Shigure Souen style ninth form…"

"Voi! What the hell is with that ridiculous stance? Are you planning on playing baseball?!"

Takeshi merely grinned in response. This form represented how Tsuna had saved him. How she had showed him that he didn't need to be normal to fit in. This was the only way he knew how to merge baseball and kendo together in order to represent that milestone in his life. While he wasn't going to let baseball take over his life, he still liked to play it and he didn't want all that experience to be wasted. This was a way for it to be useful.

Squalo returned the grin, seeing the kanata-brat was completely confident in whatever he was doing, this kid was Quality, "Don't freeze up on me, brat! Experience the true power of my blade!" Squalo slashed multiple times in the air. The force of them creating a projectile attack, parting the water as it went.

Takeshi didn't even flinch, staying in his baseball-like stance, when the attack changed direction with Squalo leading the way. He appeared behind Squalo who impossibly turned his hand 180 degrees to stab him, showing that he hand was also mechanical. However, what he stabbed was an illusion on the water. Squalo turned again, but it was too late to do anything.

Takeshi was already there, "Mirroring rain!" Squalo fell, blood covering his back from the strike. Takeshi grabbed the ring from Squalo's neck as the water level rose.

Takeshi grinned looking up at the camera, "I win!"

* * *

 **And done!**

 **In this chapter you can see how different Takeshi is compared to the Canon version. In Canon, Takeshi only had about ten days of practice to learn the sword but my Takeshi has had that knowledge since he was a child so the flow of the battle is a little less one sided. My Takeshi also isn't afraid to spill some blood. Like Squalo mentioned in this chapter, he is a killer and has no problem showing that side of himself if he needs to. I can't very write fighting chapters but I'm trying. I'm trying to focus more on what people think about something/one rather than the action element but that doesn't mean I'll completely ignore the actions. If its in Canon then it'll be in the story (unless I did something to make it null). As I go on, I should get better so bare with me.**

 **Squalo got a little freaked out in the battle with Takeshi mindset, he knows something wasn't right in the fight but doesn't know why.**

 **Once again, thank you for the reviews! A guest commented about Hayato's battle being too short and that I should have made it longer. I agree, it would have been nice longer but at the same time I don't want it to seem like I'm dragging it out and I really didn't know what else to put in it. I'll see what I can do about making the battles longer but no promises.**

 **I hope you all liked it and I'll see you next week!**


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter Twenty Two

Xanxus stared at the bleeding form of his second in command in disbelief (because seriously, what were these kids? The Varia were the elite of the elite. Squalo kept his Varia in one piece while he was iced, which wasn't an easy thing to do when said Varia was comprised of blood thirsty murderers. Sqaulo wasn't _weak_ in any sense of the word! How were these kids doing this?!) before bursting out in laugher, "The trash lost. The trash actually lost!" Xanxus smirked, masking his own emotions with smug arrogance perfectly, before lowly his voice in deadly threat, "He's outlived his usefulness." Xanxus firmly ignored the mini-sky staring at him with sharp eyes, as if the girls was trying to read him. Timoteo couldn't do it, that old man could never read him, so he doubted the mini-trash could. Sadly, his instincts were shouting the opposite thing to him.

The baby-trash and lightning-trash spun around to face him, "I'll do it for free." offered Mammon straight away, a phrase that the miser had never really said before. He had charged Squalo for passing the salt to him once. Leviathan wasn't far behind him in offering his services. Subtlety giving him way out of intentionally harming his best friend. No matter how shitty their attitudes were, they were still his guardians.

The Cervello, however, rushed up to him, voices pleading with him, "Please wait a moment. The battleground is too dangerous at enter at the moment. The ferocious beast has been released." Xanxus stiffen slightly, forgetting that in the heat of the moment before forcing his body to relax.

He continued to ignore the knowing eyes of the mini-trash.

* * *

Takeshi, who had heard the cervello's request through the microphone attached to the camera viewing his fight, frowned. His smile faulting for a moment as realisation crept up on him, "Wait a second. What'll happen to Squalo?" He looked down at the bleeding swordsman. The other rain was breathing, still alive, but with the amount of blood he was losing, he'd need treatment soon.

"As the loser of the candidate battle, his health is no longer our responsibility." was the callous response to his question.

Takeshi instead of looking unhappy or even angry, smiled once more, it held a tint of bitter-sweetness to it, "I thought it'd be something like that." The sword looked to his sky (this fight had been in her honour, he wouldn't jeopardise his win because of his personal feelings and wants unless Tsuna allowed him to), who nodded, smiling at him with pride at the question held within his eyes. The cursed sword wielder grinned at her in response, happy. It probably wasn't even a question he'd needed to ask in the first place, knowing his sky, she had never liked killing. Takeshi bent over and easily picked up the taller man, wrapping the other rain's arm around his shoulder to help carry him. He slowly, due to the exhaustion that pulled on him from his long, satisfying battle, carried Squalo to the exit.

* * *

"W-what is he doing?" Belphegor asked, a bit dumbfounded. Just a few moments ago Takeshi had been trying to honestly kill the dumb shark and now the kid was saving him? In what universe did that make any sense?

(Did Belphegor not listen to Tsuna went she said that if Takeshi wasn't a rain he'd be a mist? Everyone knew mists were crazy and made no sense whatsoever. It was a universally acknowledged fact. Most just knew how to hide it better than others. Mukuro didn't see the point of holding on to his sanity or even pretending he had any unfortunately. And he was slowly corrupting Chrome. She could just hide it behind little, shy, sweet smiles. Said smiles could easily turn creepy went she wanted them to).

"He can't be thinking about actually saving him, can he?" muttered Mammon beside him, in the same masked confusion. Xanxus stared at the group of brats, who instead of looking equally shocked and even upset at their rain for putting himself in unnecessary danger after winning his battle (and therefore had no need to put himself in danger or even do any of this really), looked proud. Even the notorious Chaos Troll, Reborn, looked mildly satisfied about the turn of events.

* * *

Takeshi carried on walking, it was difficult with the extra weight, true, but not enough for it to wind him too much. Most of his family were supernatural, processing inherent unnatural abilities, he wouldn't let something as small as this cause him to fail after he had won. However, as Takeshi carried the taller (and heavy, the shark like man needed to watch his diet. Or maybe that was the sword that acted as his arm? Takeshi really wanted to know why Sqaulo decided to replace his arm with a sword instead of getting a new arm. Getting that thing through customs alone...) man, the flooring crumbed and broke beneath him, causing both to plummet to the floor below. The floor that the shark was currently swimming around and with the water level raising... "Crap." Maybe he laughed in Death's face too much and it decided to get some petty revenge?

"Put me down." Squalo muttered, for once not shouting, still within the border between consciousness and unconsciousness, "You're tainting my honour as a swordsman."

Takeshi, instead of listening, tightened his hold on the man, "I'm not saving you." he stated, "I'm making sure I have someone decent to fight in a spar. This is purely for myself." he laughed happily, even as the shark got closer, drawn by the smell of blood (Squalo, the shark-like man wanted to be eaten by a shark, apparently. Did the Cervello do that on purpose?). What he said wasn't completely untrue, as he did want a training partner (he had sparring partners in his family, (Hibari would rather date Mukuro then refuse a spar from his family) of course, but none could wield a sword like Squalo could), whom Squalo fit the requirements of that perfectly, but Takeshi had dealt with prideful idiots (Hayato and Hibari quickly came to mind along with Reborn though Tsuna mostly dealt with the hitman when he got like that) and knew saying that he wanted to save him wouldn't help. It really wouldn't. Takeshi remembered saying something among those lines to Hayato and he clamped up while going so red in the face, that Takeshi was nearly worried before snapping out of it and hurling insults at Takeshi. It was pretty funny in hindsight. Takeshi suddenly stopped, pinning the older man with a piercing gaze full of steel, "And don't think of throwing me off. You should know from fighting me that a shark won't be able to do anything."

Squalo grunted but didn't kick the kid away like he was about to do. He couldn't decide if the kanata-brat was a stone cold killer or a naive brat, still Squalo did admit to himself that what the brat said held some truth. The so called 'sword', while injured and tired, was nowhere near weak enough to bring himself down to the level that he could be killed by one lone shark. No matter how 'ferocious' the cervello claimed it to be.

Takeshi laughed as he watched, almost passively, at the advancing form of the shark, "I'm going to have to put you down for a second." he grinned, sounding way too cheery for the situation he was in. Squalo couldn't decide whether that made him even better Quality than before or just plain annoying.

It was probably both.

The younger rain watched as the shark leaped out from the water, jaws open wide for it's new meal, showing rows upon rows of sharp teeth, gleaming with it's saliva, before infusing his sword with his rain flames, slowing the beast down from merely being near to the flames. With a grin and a hum of his sword, Takeshi effortlessly sliced straight down the shark, splitting it into two fleshy chunks. The shark's blood sprayed and, unfortunately, managed to get all over his clothes and face while the two big lumps of flesh fell besides him, on either side, with a loud thud. With the grin he was still wearing (that didn't even falter when the blood hit his face), he made for an disturbing and terrifying sight.

Takeshi picked the shark-like man (it was still ironic and Takeshi would tease the older man for it later when they have another spar, Takeshi had not gone through all this trouble to not get at least one out of the man) back up and made his way, however slowly, to the exit. This time he managed to make it without anymore difficulties.

Takeshi stared at the man upon his throne (he really believed he should get one for Tsuna, she deserved it. Maybe the others would help him buy one discreetly. Reborn should know where to get one, he was from the mafia and Mukuro would probably help hide it from Tsuna until they were able to get it delivered so she couldn't get rid of it. After all, Tsuna never ordered them to not buy one, only that she didn't want one but Tsuna was always so modest. People needed to realise how amazing Tsuna was and if a throne helped with that cause then Takeshi was sure the family wouldn't mind helping him), "If I hand over Squalo, you're not killing him."

"Who do you think you are, trash?!" It was an automatic response for Xanxus to threaten people when he had no idea what was going on. He stared at the teenager (the teenager who was supposed to be a _civilian_ , yet somehow seemed completely used to and okay with the idea of killing. He didn't even hesitant at the sight of blood. What was _happening_ with Mammon's information recently? He needed to have a word about that) who was still covered in shark blood but barely seemed to notice, challenging him without a hint of fear.

The scarred man felt how the mini-trash's flames wrapped around Takeshi protectively, a subtle warning for him to keep himself under control. Not that he needed the warning, he wasn't going to kill the brat. The brat did bring his rain back him and that deserved some gratitude. Even if most people wouldn't recognise it as gratitude.

Takeshi, despite the almost threatening posture his sky had taken on behind him, smiled, his eyes once again sharpened into the steel of his sword, "A sword who has found someone worthy to fight against. I won't let you take that away." The almost possessive tone wasn't missed by anyone. Did fighting with Hibari-senpai pass on some of the wolf's traits? Then again he knew he was quite possessive of Tsuna and his other elements to a lesser degree, the rest of his family was like that as well now that he thought about it, "I won't tell you how to run your family, injure him if you have too but don't kill him." And with that Takeshi dropped Squalo off to Belphegor, who steadied the unconscious, injured man instinctively, sure his request/order/favour had been heard and would be followed.

Takeshi ignored the Varia as he turned to face his family. His sky smiling fondly at him, even with blood dripping from him though some of the blood dried now, clinging to his skin. His skin now bore a pattern of tanned skin tone, deep red of still wet blood and brown-red of dried, cracked blood with dirt in other places. He'd need both a bath and a shower tonight, that was certain and maybe another bath too, just encase. Hayato scowled at him like normal, shouting some insults about him being an idiot for saving Squalo but it lacked any real bite (like it had for a while now). Ryohei-senpai was shouting that he was 'extreme' easily pulling him into a one armed hug in his 'extremeness'. Tsuki was yawning slightly, but her eyes scanned his form for any serious injuries whilst Reborn smirked at him in what he assumed was an approving manner (only Tsuna could really read the not-baby unless Takeshi used his flames for help but he didn't have the same grasp on them like the phoenix did. Not that anyone had the had the same level of control that Tsuna did, she was a phoenix) from his place on Tsuna's shoulder. Two mist flames and a lone cloud flame mingled with his own in order to make sure of his health before pulling away as if they weren't there to begin with.

It felt great (more than simply great, really, but it was difficult for him to find the correct words to fully describe how he felt at that moment) to be _accepted_.

For _all_ of him to be accepted.

* * *

The next night, found both the Varia and Tsuna's elements (Tsuna pretty much included Reborn in that group even if they had yet to harmonise. He was being pretty stubborn in that regard but Tsuna wouldn't push him. She could, and would, wait for however long he needed or wanted) in the Arena once more.

Finally, it seemed that the cervello decided to actually use the area that the arena was named after and, surprisingly, they haven't added anything absurd to it. They were going to simply use the arena as it was made to be used. Tsuna was glad because she didn't think her heart could take much more of all these outrageous battle grounds the cervello come up with.

(Tsuna was also glad that only the cloud and sky battles were next after the mist battle. Kyoya would likely just break anything that they came up with or completely ignore it and the sky battle meant it was for her. Tsuna felt better knowing that whatever the sky battle was going to be, at least she would be the only one to deal with it. Though her Hyper Intuition went off when she thought about that…

...

It would probably for the best if she made sure everyone was in fighting condition when it was her turn to fight. Tsuna wondered if she could compensation from all these mafia induced headaches she was getting recently. Unfortunately, she doubted it. Bermuda-chan had complained often enough about the mafia when she met up with the undead boss to convince her of that).

Ken and Chikusa had come along, after asking Tsuna for permission, which she readily gave, to watch the match given who was fighting. And thinking about the match, she turned to her two mists, "You never did say who was going to fight in the mist battle."

Mukuro smirked, "We didn't, darling." his arm that was wrapped around Chrome's waist tightened slightly, showing who was going to fight in their battle as their mist ring materialised around her neck. The girl hugged her trident to her chest. It was one of her most treasured possessions (though Chrome treasured all of her things given her background) as soon as Mukuro presented her own trident to wield, instead of using solid illusions. Against someone like Mammon, who was also known as Viper of the Arcobaleno -Strongest Mist in the World- she would need every advantage as she could get. Even if that was merely making sure she had something to defend herself with if Chrome's illusions failed.

Mukuro was there to keep the illusions of her organs going, so they didn't need to worry about that. And if Mukuro, for whatever reason, wasn't able to keep them going and Chrome was also occupied with something else then Tsuna could manipulate their mist flames to make the illusion for them. The sky flames quality was harmony so she could 'trick' the flame into thinking that she was Mukuro or Chrome for a short while. Tsuna couldn't do this with anyone other than her bonded though, as she needed to completely know the flames she was mimicking, and she couldn't keep it up for long as it was exhausting for her. Plus, the level of concentration alone meant it was unfit for battle (if she was going to use it, then Tsuna couldn't be doing anything else) so there wasn't many situations she could use the technique in.

Chrome smiled at Tsuna, still shy but the time spent training had really boosted her confidence. Knowing she could rely on her _own_ power when things got bad and that she wasn't as helpless as before helped reassure her on top on the all accepting nature of her new family, "I-I will be fighting. However, Mukuro-sama is allowed to interfere by possessing me if needed. Mukuro-sama thought it'd be a good opportunity to get experience with fighting with my illusions against other people." her voice was soft, making sure that no one outside of her family could hear. They had looked through all the rules to the ring battle and, while it was a loophole, Mukuro could process her and fight because it was still her body fighting. Technically. It was more of a gray area, granted, but it wasn't outright stated that they _couldn't_ do something like that so it was fine…

It was probably fine...

They thought that Mukuro would probably need to interfere. While Chrome had gotten good at illusions (very well, considering how little time she had been properly practising with them, a little over a month and a half), Chrome was nowhere near good enough to be at the level of the Strongest Mist. Chrome knew and acknowledged that. She would not risk death by being arrogant in her abilities, especially after what she had attained since walking away from Death's door.

Reborn blinked once, did Chrome just say Mukuro could _possess_ people? He turned slightly to Tsuna whom smiled and began explaining without probing, "Mukuro could possess people if he was shot by the possession bullet, though he gave the bullets to the Vindice because they were illegal in the mafia, he can still possess Chrome because their flames are so similar and their unique circumstances."

Reborn nodded, at least he couldn't do that to anyone anymore, he did somewhat trust the mist (being Tsuna's element and knowing him for awhile had helped with that. He couldn't, however, trust the mist fully yet but that was more because of his own lifestyle than anything Mukuro had done. His trust was hard won but near unbreakable once you had it. That being said, if you broke it, even once, then the trust he gave would never be returned) but the ability to possess people naturally put him on edge, "Can you tell if he has possessed Chrome?"

"Of course, their are my Own." Tsuna answered simply. She knew their flames like she knew her own and while Chrome's and Mukuro's were similar, they weren't identical.

* * *

Mammon looked at the girl with the mist ring around her neck. He was expecting the male mist to be fighting as he seemed to have stronger mist flames (and given his background was going to be stronger regardless, though he didn't know how _Mukuro Dokuro_ and Tsunahime Sawada could have met. Mammon was _really_ getting annoyed about the lack of information available about this town. Sure, at first glance, things looked fine but ask specific questions and suddenly he went up against a brick wall. It was like someone else was controlling the information in this town but Mammon would have heard about someone who could hide from _him_. It was starting to make him look like he was getting rusty.) but that didn't really matter to him. If they thought they could send in a weaker opponent to fight him, it was their loss and his profit. Though Fantasma was getting excited so the girl probably wasn't weak either, "It looks like the enemy's guardian is an unusual person." he mused aloud, "Selling her to the circus might be a profitable venture."

He continued to watch as Colonello burst into the arena unexpectedly, if the other group's reaction were anything to go by. Mammon wondered if the boss would let him buy the arena or build something like it back in Italy to train the mooks. It was well built and seemed to have a purpose for everything. He wondered what such a place was doing in such a small town. And seeing Colonello reminded him, he also expected someone from the CEFED to be watching but no one seemed to have turned up. He had been expecting them to be watching every single one of them, but apart from the Sun battle he hadn't seen or sensed any. They either didn't know about or couldn't find the place. Mammon would bet on the latter, he could feel something like mist flames surrounding the area. Said mist flames only appeared after the first battle. Maybe they messed with the person's memories? Or maybe they messed up the route leading to the arena unless you were giving permission to be there? Another reason why he wanted such a place.

* * *

"Then, let's all huddle!" Ryohei shouted after he greeted his master. Said master weren't very happy with him after his own battle. Colonello didn't like that fact he hid some of his strength but it was an extreme order from his sky. Ryohei appreciated his master very much but Tsuna always, _always_ , came first. Still, after he explained that Tsuna had an extreme plan to deceive the Varia and make them underestimate them, Colonello reluctantly understood. Ryohei was extremely glad about that! To deceive the enemy, you must first deceive your friends. Ryohei was extremely glad that proverb didn't say that he needed to deceive his family. Ryohei could never lie to his fellow elements and sky.

Chikusa and Ken looked on in confusement while Chrome smiled somewhat shyly and willingly went. Mukuro sighed and begrudgingly went, if only to stop the embarrassment of being pulling into it like that last time. Tsuki was going into it for pretty much the same reason Mukuro. They envied Reborn, who could simply jump from Tsuna to avoid it (it wouldn't be like that for long, they knew, Tsuna wanted Reborn as one of her Own and Reborn, given his poorly hidden courting, that only Tsunahime seemed to miss, wanted the same thing though was just being stubborn about it), before jumping back onto Tsuna's shoulder. "Mukuro, Chrome, Fight!" they shouted.

Chrome smiled happily once more before making her way to the middle of the arena. The cervello began explaining the battlefield and rules once again, "This time the battleground will by the entirety of the arena. This field has not been altered in any way as there is no need for perplexity." Tsuna nodded, understanding the reason why the cervello hadn't bothered making anything unusual. Making something from nothing and vice visa was the role of a mist and so it had been reflected in the battlefield. This was probably the only battleground to reflect the role properly, lamented Tsuna, well, without it being overly ridiculous and stupidly dangerous for no reason other than the need to waste money. "The audience area has already been set up, as with the storm battle, infrared lasers have been installed. Please be careful."

Cervello waited a moment for the information to sink in before shouting, "Then, the battle of the mist, please begin!"

* * *

 **And that's a wrap!**

 **I'm glad everyone is liking my Takeshi. He's more darker than the canon version. Thanks for the reviews once more guys!**

 **The mist battle is next! Go Chrome!**


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter Twenty Three

Nagi has always been shy, timid. She knew this, she had never pretended to be anything else because that was who she was. Nagi was _weak_.

She knew, objectively, that her personality probably had something to do with her so-called 'upbringing'. Her mother was a heavy presence, a suffocating, all-encompassing thing that pressed down on her from all sides. Mother was not warmth or love or happiness. She was all hard edges and dominating orders. It was all she had ever been to Nagi. She had never been a mother, had never even tried to be either. Why would she? Nagi was a _freak_ , a one winged freak. Nagi was not worthy enough to have warmth or love or happiness. She wasn't worthy enough to have a mother. She wasn't allowed something like that. Freaks weren't _allowed_ to be _happy_.

Her mother was so suffocating to Nagi's timid demeanour that she could hardly stand up on her own two feet, nevermind lift her head in the woman's presence. Nagi couldn't shout out to the world, to everyone, how hurt and _broken_ she was, not when she hardly muster the strength to whisper under her breath.

Nagi wouldn't have shouted even if she could've anyway. As her mother said, Nagi was a freak to her kind but in the human world, a world that didn't know of her missing wing, of the things that go bump in the night, Nagi had a _purpose_. Her mother may not like her (which was a mild way of putting it, Nagi knew) but being the pretty wallflower to the masses that loved her mother gave her a sense of being. Granted, it wasn't much but she was _starving_ and this give her some meagre sense of purpose. She'd take her victories where she could, even when all she wanted to do was curl up in a ball and cry. It also gave her mother an incentive to keep her around.

Nagi didn't really know why humans would think a thing like her was cute and adorable, neither did her mother, as she was so quick to point out once they got back to the house (never home). Apparently, being an actress (which was what mother was, though she wasn't massively well-known) with a daughter was something to talk about.

Nagi's life wasn't prefect (wasn't very happy neither) but it was a life. Nagi was more than grateful she could have one and when her mother was asleep in the night (being owls tended to make them more nocturnal but Mother lived in the human world with a human life and so adapted to their way of doing things. This meant that Mother was often asleep before Nagi, who didn't work much apart from doing the chores around the house and anything else Mother wanted or needed doing. Not that made much of a difference. The lack of food often made her exhausted regardless), she played with the indigo fire (it was so pretty, so bright and full of light, everything she wanted to be but couldn't), making illusions of all the things she wanted to do or see, Nagi reminded herself of just how grateful she was.

She had to remind herself of that more often when Mother's 'boyfriend' came around though. Mother was more violent before and after he came and went. Nagi wasn't really sure about want to think about the man (Nagi didn't even know his name, she never asked and he never said) as she often had to leave for her room when he was inside the house. Beatings weren't new to Nagi, but they came more frequently when Mother met him so Nagi couldn't say she liked him.

She couldn't say why she jumped out in front of that truck in order to save the cat. Nagi didn't even know the cat's name nor had she seen the cat before now. Perhaps she didn't want the cat to hurt like she had been hurt or maybe she forgot to remind herself of how grateful she was for her life (Nagi didn't want to die, no, Nagi wanted to live her life to the fullest but sometimes her hurt became so painful that it was so difficult to stop thinking about what would happen if she just… gave up) or maybe it was just instinct.

When Nagi woke up, it was to the smell of sharp antiseptic hanging in the air, the sound of machines beeping and of her mother refusing to save to her, Nagi wasn't surprised. No, Nagi wasn't surprised, Mother made it clear how little she cared for her, but she was sad. Numbingly sad. It was probably a good thing she felt so numb because she was going to die. Nagi was going to _die_.

And she did, Nagi died.

And in Nagi's place, came Chrome.

Chrome was similar to Nagi. She was still shy and timid and she didn't pretend otherwise, but she was not _weak_. Chrome was, instead, soft. She was soft, in the sharpest of ways.

Chrome had family. Chrome had friends and family and love and warmth and happiness. Chrome had everything Nagi so desperately wanted but didn't, couldn't, have. Chrome had a _home_. She had a protector and brother in Mukuro-sama. Mukuro was safety. He claimed Chrome as his, had given her a name because he _wanted_ her. Truly wanted her. He had given her the organs to live, made from his own soul-flames (the pretty fire she could make, he could as well. Though his seemed harder where her's were soft). Those flames were in her, supporting her life of every second of every day.

She would _never_ be alone again.

From Mukuro-sama came the warmth of a sky. Tsunahime ("You have such a pretty wing, little Chrome.") was kindness and warmth and acceptance. Tsuna _ached_ for Chrome. Tsuna saw her for the one winged freak she was and didn't look at her in disgust but instead gave her another wing. Tsuna gave her the means to fly with her own strength.

From Tsuna came family. Ken and Chikusa became her big brothers, no matter how begrudgingly it seemed on the surface. Chrome could see through the act, she was a mist, after all. Ryohei and Takeshi followed along easily. Both giving easy (real, unlike her mother) smiles when they saw her. Lambo, I-pin and Futa were her little siblings. Whenever they needed a hug, or soft reassurance they came to her or Tsuna. They made her feel needed, wanted. Tsuki was the older sister of the group. Her bored aura didn't cover up her caring and teasing nature. She was happy to answer any question Chrome had and teach her more about fighting when she asked. Mukuro-sama was an amazing fighter but his style was self-taught and he was a mist and so focused more on illusions when he could get away with it. Even Reborn, who wasn't a baby but was and seemed very, very focused on Tsunahime, was nice to her. Though said niceness was hidden away and subtle at the best of times. He reminded Chrome of Mukuro-sama sometimes given his sadist, mischievous behaviour. Chrome didn't really know what he was to her in the family, he was too wise and strong to be a brother so maybe he was a uncle? That didn't sound quite right either. He kept himself distant, but ultimately you knew you could count on him. He gave off a reliable aura.

Kyoya was a little strange. Oh, he was family, or pack as the wolf demon liked to say, but Chrome liked him more than she thought she would. When she first saw him, she thought he'd be the scary, distant older brother type. The type of person you know would always protect you, no matter what, but preferred to stay away and pretend they didn't care despite the fact that both knew differently. Instead, Kyoya came up to her, stared at her for a long moment before deciding she was a 'small animal' and sat beside her with his bird, Hibird, coming out for a pet while he slept. Or he tried to sleep before Mukuro-sama said something and he went off to 'bite him to death'. Yes, Kyoya was strange but he was also almost gentle with her and he was quiet too. Chrome loved her new family but they didn't really do quiet.

For her family, Chrome refused to be weak and so she was soft instead. She was the soft mist, the one who no one would look at twice because her family shined so bright that she could hide in their shadows, waiting until she was needed to strike at a threat. Chrome would use her natural disposition and turn it into a weapon. Her timid nature would get people to overlook her when she stood next to her family, who radiate absolute confidence. No one would notice her until she wanted them too.

Granted, it was a work in progress at the moment but Chrome knew what she wanted to be. She would be the owl that watched the kept watch in the night while her family slept, making sure no threats came close to them. Chrome wasn't brilliant at fighting, she knew her weaknesses, but she also knew her strengths and what she was good at was watching, waiting and listening. That was all she had done as Nagi and she would put those skills to use for her family.

She would hide the information her family wanted hidden and she would collect all the information she could about their enemies for future use. Chrome would be subtle in her protection of her family. She wouldn't let anyone know she was the one to collect information apart from her fellow elements and sky so they couldn't see her coming.

Where Chrome was soft, Mukuro-sama was hard. He would draw the attention. He would be the trickster that everyone watched closely. So closely that no one saw her watching in the shadows cast by Mukuro-sama's light.

* * *

Still, even with knowing who she was and who she was going to be, it didn't stop Chrome from being nervous as she stepped out onto the arena, spinning her trident as the cercello shouted, "Then, the battle of the mist, please begin!" She didn't let her anxiety show but it was still there.

It didn't matter, though, not in the long run. Her family was at her back. She had nothing to be scared about.

With that in mind, Chrome brought her spinning trident to the ground and slammed the butt into the ground, conjuring an illusion. The ground broke and tore apart. Giant gaps forming from the cracks as other bits of ground shot up. The floor beneath Chrome broke apart and lifted her into the air as well but Mammon had to jump from boulder to boulder to reach the owl-child, "So a Illusion user like me, after all." The fake baby mused, "But this is child's play, I can't make any money off of that!" Mammon's face underneath the hood transformed into a great many tentacles, all flying towards her. They latched onto Chrome's face and twisted around her neck, holding her in the air, the trident still clenched within her hand, "Much too weak, you won't even make a good side show with that." the Strongest Mist continued.

"Who are you talking to?" Chrome's voice didn't come from the girl still hanging in the air but behind him. She didn't stutter and her voice was strong. This was a fight and she had no time to be shy, not to the enemy. The girl in the air transformed into one of the real boulders scattered around the arena, "I'm over here…"

Mammon, of his part, didn't even flinch. He merely got rid of his own illusion before turning to face Chrome, "Oh good, you're more or less a worthy opponent. Then I can even use that to my heart's content." The chain wrapped around Mammon's neck started to slide off, "Before those two stupidly gaping chibis…" The chain hit the ground with a dull thud but the sound still managed to echo ominously, Chrome shifted into a better stance. She felt like this battle was going to get a whole all harder, "Let's go Fantasma." The black frog's skin, that hadn't moved from Mammon's head, seemed to crack and chip away, revealing a yellow snake like being (though it still possessed its frog-like legs and eyes) that hovered over Mammon's head, like some sort of halo, biting its own tail like an ouroboros.

The chain revealed an indigo pacifier that glowed brightly...

* * *

"Kora, that curled up frog and indigo pacifier…" started Colonnello, his pacifier glowing blue, "So he's alive…"

Reborn nodded in agreement, having known for awhile. He should have probably told Colonnello but then again he didn't really have much to do with the mist fight (having trained Ryohei for the sun battle) and well… Reborn liked knowing things that other people didn't. Since being introduced to the supernatural world he's been making mistakes from his lack of knowledge (granted small ones but they were still mistakes in Reborn's mind) and taking lessons from his student! He needed this no matter how petty it seemed. Plus, getting information about Viper wasn't an easy feat and no doubt the Rain Arcobaleno would be curious about who had managed to do such a thing. Reborn would rather not deal with the lovesick puppy anymore than he needed to. "Is he flying?" asked Tsuna, quietly, her eyes glued to the small form that seemed to fly in the air with seemingly no difficulty. Bat had touched upon the subject only briefly but seeing it was different than hearing about it. To fly without wings... it wasn't something Tsunahime saw often. Not without some sort of gadget attached to the person made for that reason but there was only a frog/snake.

"More like floating. It's the ability that Fantasma grants him." he answered easily, "Viper is said to have psychic abilities, as well." Tsuna glanced at him, surprised before looked back at Viper or Mammon, interest in her eyes obvious. Reborn ignored Colonnello's questioning look when he answered Tsuna's question fully and without omitting information like he normally did. He might not like most of the other Arcobaleno (he didn't mind Fon but then the calm martial artist was difficult to hate given how polite and honorable he was. Finding someone who wouldn't stab someone in the back without a warning was rare in his line of work. Skull was weak and annoying but Reborn didn't hate the stuntman. Skull did pretty well for himself considering he was just a civilian with zero training before he got kicked into the curse and therefore the mafia with the rest of them. That didn't mean Reborn liked Skull but he could tolerate him. Not that Reborn would let the other know that. Colonnello was too military for Reborn to ever get used to him, he was a hitman after all, but he supposed he was alright in small doses… when he wasn't around Lal) but after spending years with the same people you tend to pick up on their personality even if you didn't want to. It was… unlike him to answer someone so readily and willingly.

This wasn't Reborn's fault though! Tsunahime was too good a sky and person for him not to like and the trust she gave him with herself and her family's safety made something in Reborn settle. It made him feel less weary. Reborn didn't, and will never, regret the choices he made in his life but he can admit that some of them weren't the best ones he could've made. Every single one of those choices had shaped him and sometimes the darkness of his life haunted him (having no nightmares while being a killer for hire was impossible) and left him tired. Tsuna helped him feel like a better man. Not a good one but a better one nonetheless.

"Psychic?! You mean ESP…?" asked Hayato, as surprised as Tsuna though more vocal about it. Takeshi laughed at the half demon dog's surprise with Ryohei grinning at them. Reborn didn't bother answering him though. He wondered why this was something surprising to them. Hayato was a demon for god's sake and Tsuna was a phoenix. A bird made of pure fire. Maybe psychics meant something different to them or at least to Tsuna as Hayato didn't really embrace his heritage until he found Tsunahime.

"I heard he was missing in action, kora, but I didn't think he was alive." mused Colonello, almost like he was thinking to himself rather than wanting to be heard. Reborn, though he didn't know where Viper had been hiding before seeing Bat, he didn't think the mist would be dead. The pacifier connected them all together in some way (they glowed when another was near, enough said) so he thought that if Viper was dead they'd probably feel it in some way. Then again, Reborn didn't know if that would've happened either so it was only a theory at the moment. "Why didn't our pacifiers start glowing until just now, kora?"

"I'm not sure, but it seems to have something to do with that chain. It seems to have sealed the pacifier powers…"

"Foolish chibis like you wouldn't understand. It is a by-product of research." sneered Mammon turning his head to face them rather than Chrome, though he didn't shift his attention fully (that would be suicidal against any mist), having heard their conversation, "Unlike you I am never negligent of the efforts to lift the curse."

Reborn and Colonello were shocked (and a little offended as both of them wanted the curse broke as much as the Strongest Mist). To actually be able to seal the pacifiers… That was further than anyone had been able to get but Tsuna just nodded in understanding, completely at ease with the information, "They are items that can seal things of power. Though that seal is weak." Tsuna tilted her head, thinking, seemingly unaware of the audience she had just gained. Mammon, Colonello and Reborn listening more intently than the others, "Well, it would be more accurate to say that seal is too weak to seal a curse that strong as the seal itself isn't that bad all things considered. A proper seal on the curse probably wouldn't lift the effects but would stop the effects from advancing..."

It was silent for a moment before Reborn, who was by now used to being surprised by his bambina ( _the vindice comes to mind_ …) spoke, it came out almost as a demand in his impatience, "What do you mean?" The cervello were even quiet, not wanting to push for the match to continue, not when this conversation held a vested interest to the _Arcobaleno_. That would be like signing for their own death to be arranged.

Tsuna blinked, coming out of her thoughts and suddenly becoming aware that she had spoken all of that aloud. Well, it had been a topic that she had been quietly thinking about since, well, since she decided that she wanted Reborn as one of her Own. Tsuna was caring, true, but with a curse of that strength, she wouldn't go around breaking it unless she had some interest in doing so (meaning one of her Own being trapped in one, or her Own asking her to break the curse). This was mostly because of the conditions and ingredients needed to break a curse of this magnitude and not to mention the time needed to gather all of them and meet the conditions. She couldn't break the curse, not yet, but she could give them the hope of a maybe. The hope that one day they may be free, "Well… You would still be in those forms -you would probably have to break the curse to undo that- but you'd have access to your flames with the same ease you had before the curse happened and the side effects would be halted," Reborn hadn't really mentioned any side effects but she could imagine a curse that _sucked on your flames_ , your will to live, would have them. Reborn had a mountain of stubborn man pride and probably hadn't mentioned anything because of that. And she had yet to even tell him that she knew he was under a curse… that probably had something to do with it too. He probably knew that she knew, being supernatural, but bringing up a topic like that wasn't something done lightly, "It would also stop anything from effecting the curse negatively."

The three cursed beings had trouble computing that they had just stumbled upon someone who talked about breaking and sealing curses like they knew what they were talking about (to them it probably sounded like she did know what she was talking about and Tsuna did… to some degree. After Timoteo's half-arsed seal she had more cause than most to look into seals but she wasn't an expert at them. Tsunahime couldn't claim to know about the art of sealing properly but Bat had been informative in that subject so she knew more than general knowledge. All she knew for certain was that the seal would stop any side effects past, present or future) That someone was talking about their curse in the context of sealing it, implying that their curse could be _broken_.

Mammon and Colonello wouldn't have believed this girl even knew what she was talking about (they'd more likely claim her insane) except Reborn, who had been around the heir candidate for at least a year, was _listening_ to her. Reborn, the prideful maniac, who never listened to anyone. Reborn actually believed what Tsunahime was saying, well, to some extent. They could see that, his expression was as blank as always but his eyes told a different story. Disbelief and hope warring within them, the same could probably be seen on them if one knew where to look, except Reborn's disbelief wasn't about the young sky knowing about curses but that the curse could be broken...

* * *

 **And done!**

 **We finally get onto the subject of the Arcobaleno curse! Bet you didn't expect that to happen in the middle of Chrome's battle. Tsunahime has been quietly looking around for information about the curse for awhile now and the fact that she had nearly been sealed was a good motivator than any to research seals.**

 **Also, we have some insight into Chrome's thought process. I was really stuck on this chapter. I had no idea how to begin it. I could have gone straight into it like the other chapters but I didn't want it to sound repetitive. I hope it came out alright!**

 **Thank you everyone for your support! Reading your reviews and seeing how happy you are reading my story really does make my day, you guys have no idea! I know everyone says stuff like this but I'm saying it anyway. Thank you so much, seriously!**

 **Hope you enjoyed it!**


	24. Chapter 24

**So I finished this chapter early! Which is why there's an update on Wednesday. Don't worry, I'll still update another chapter on Saturday but I really wanted on get this one out so here it is!**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter Twenty Four

 _Mammon and Colonello wouldn't have believed this girl even knew what she was talking about except Reborn, who had been around her for at least a year, was listening to her. Reborn, the prideful maniac, who never listened to anyone. Reborn actually believed what Tsunahime was saying. They could see that, his expression was as blank as always but his eyes told a different story. Disbelief and hope warring within them, the same could probably be seen on them if one knew where to look, except Reborn's disbelief wasn't about the young sky knowing about curses but that the curse could be broken..._

* * *

"If you do not continue the match, we will disqualify both contestants." was the Cervello's way of bringing everyone back to the match that was supposed to be happening. Even though they waited for the conversation to be somewhat over (it was clear to them the Arcobaleno still had many questions to ask the sky but they still had a match to oversee) they still got three glares worthy of the world's strongest, though no one knew how Mammon managed it, considering his hood covered his eyes.

Still, it was clear that their questions were being put on hold so Colonello took it upon himself to get everyone back on track, "This isn't good. The average illusionist can't stand up against that stupid chibi, kora!" Colonello obviously didn't take to being called a chibi by the miser and so got his own back even though he was still half distracted as he was still giving Tsuna side glances throughout the sentence.

"Don't be so quick to decide that Colonello. Chrome is no ordinary illusionist." commented Reborn, who was sitting as close to Tsuna as possible, even on her shoulder as he was. The sky was carefully wrapping him up in flames, making sure they didn't leak over to any one not her family. Reborn was still reeling from the shock that Tsuna might know about how to break this trice damned curse. He was the only one out of the Arcobaleno that knew Tsuna was supernatural and _so of course she's encountered seals and curses before_ (why didn't he think about that?!) Tsuna has yet to lie to him and she wouldn't have mentioned something like that carelessly. She knew Reborn better than to toy with him on that subject.

"Kufufufu… I couldn't have put it better myself, Reborn. My Chrome isn't as weak as you believe." Mukuro had somehow creeped up behind the rifle-loving baby and was currently smiling ominously at him while he leaned over him, offended that anyone would even think his dear Chrome was weak.

* * *

Almost in response to Mukuro's belief in her, Chrome stood at full height, staring up at the flying Illusionist, her trident held confidently in her hand, "No matter who you are… I won't lose!" resolve lined her voice before Chrome charged taking a swipe at Mammon who promptly dodged the attack.

"An heroic effort…" Mammon stated, but Chrome wasn't listening to whatever he had to say because she had already set up her illusion. Giant snakes hissed as the trapped the small baby captive.

Mammon hmmed under his breath as he attempted to break the illusion yet he couldn't, "This giant snake… isn't an illusion?" That was impressive. It was a difficult skill to achieve, to make an illusion real. It seemed Fantasma was right at the beginning of the match, this girl wasn't ordinary, not by any means. He could understand why his fellow officers seemed to have so much trouble with this group if they continued to do things that people their age _shouldn't_ be able to do. No wonder Reborn seemed so smug and, dare he say, _happy_ on the sky's shoulder. Obviously, he trained the brats. It was the only reason why all of them knew things that they shouldn't know, after all, not even half of that group was officially in the mafia yet. Though, Mammon found it strange that Reborn would train so many at one time. The sun seemed to prefer teaching one on one.

(Mammon was completely oblivious about how many incorrect conclusions he was making.)

Still, he wasn't the strongest mist for no reason. Mammon's pacifier glowed once more though brighter than before and the snakes blew off him, "It's about time I released my own powers too…"

Chrome dismissed the snakes and gritted her teeth in effort, slamming her trident down once again, summoning large pillars of fire, basing the heat and fire of off Tsuna's soul-flames when she was angry. It had the added bonus of being comforting to her, Chrome knew that the fire wasn't Tsuna's, she had made it after all, but the heat was familiar to her nonetheless.

Mammon jumped up, flying further into the air, getting away from the fire, "Your illusions are indeed first class. If one believes even for a moment that they were real, they'd be roasted alive. Therefore your weakness is also illusion!" From beneath Mammon's hood, a bright light shined and before everyone knew it, the columns of fire had been frozen over.

Tsunahime, subconsciously, channelled her flames up heat herself up, spreading them over her family and doing the same. Only Mukuro was doing okay, as he hadn't let himself fall for the illusion, but he easily took the excuse to bask in his sky's flame nonetheless.

"The art of illusion seizes control of a person's perception, that is to say it infiltrates the brain that governs the five senses. The stronger the illusionist's abilities, the more complete the infiltration. Their illusion's rate of success is also heightened, and it's hold over reality stronger. Thus, in the illusionist's case, if their illusion is successfully countered with illusion, it means their hold over their own perception is also completely snatched away!" Ice climbed up Chrome's legs, reaching to her waist, as the young owl struggled against its hold, "How is it? The abominable power of the Arcobaleno?"

Chrome stopped struggling at that and raised her head to look at her opponent who had floated further down once more, she smirked, looking eerily like Mukuro, "You certainly earned your title." she said, "However, you have to _successfully_ counter my illusion to win."

Mammon frowned from behind his hood, confused, "I have, girl."

Chrome smiled, "Ah, but that wasn't normal fire I summoned." and with that, as if on command, the ice pillars began to melt and crack, the fire raging beneath spilled from the holes left, melting the ice inside and out.

After all, for Mammon's illusion to properly take hold, Chrome needed to believe that her illusion was defeated. Except Chrome based her illusionary fire on her sky's flames. On a phoenix's flames. You can't freeze those sort of flames. Sure, you could (maybe) freeze them for a short while but not forever. That was impossible. Phoenixes are flames, they burn continuously, for them to stop burning would be for them to die. It was one of the main reasons why even sealing a phoenix was a Bad Idea.

Some of the fire from the column shot out and curled around Chrome, melting the ice from her legs. The flame continued to curl around her protectively. Chrome allowed herself a moment to bask in the feeling of the warmth that surrounded her so completely before focusing once more on her opponent.

Using her mist flame once more, she willed the columns of fire and the one around her to bend and surround the miser, encasing him in a ball of scorching phoenix fire, since the Strongest Mist was still distracted by the fact that his illusion hadn't beaten her own like he first thought. The ball of fire didn't last long, Chrome didn't expect it to. While she did base the nature of the flames off of Tsuna's flame, the strength of it was reliant on her own illusionary ability. She wasn't yet at Mammon's skill level and the only reason he was tricked by her before was because he was still partially distracted by Tsunahime's revelation about the curse. If it wasn't for that and therefore Mammon's lack of concentration, Chrome didn't doubt that she would have needed Mukuro-sama's help.

Mammon broke free with a burst of light, sweat trailing down what face she could see. Rage blazed in his flame but it didn't matter, she had what she was aiming for. The fire that was wrapped around her before came back to her and gave her the other half of the ring, Chrome quickly connected them together without a word.

"Winner, Chrome Dokuro!" announced the cervello as soon as she had done so.

"What?! I can still fight!" shouted Mammon, and it was true. He hadn't yet used the full extent of his ability against her. She wouldn't have been able to hold up against that and she knew it but the mist officer continuously underestimated her. That had given her enough time to plan and prepare. Mammon shouldn't be so cocky next time he fights someone. Chrome and the others had made it clear that they were strong (or at least stronger than the Varia expected) but the title of Strongest Mist must have got to the miser's head.

Chrome watched as the large cloud guardian matched over to Mammon and trapped him in a cage covered with chains before returning to his boss' side. She couldn't help but think that trapping someone wasn't the same as eliminating someone as they have been known to do. Still, Mammon didn't look so happy about it or maybe that was because of his loss or perhaps it was a mixture of both.

Most likely both.

Chrome turned and looked towards her family, all of them smiling happily as she was hurriedly crowded by them, obscuring her from the view of the Varia. She smiled at how every single one of them was checking over her for injuries. Luckily, in an illusionist battle, injuries were only obtained if you lose your perception of reality so she was fine, if a little (okay, a lot) tired.

"I didn't think you'd actually win, kora!"

Chrome looked up at Colonello, Mukuro-sama's hand already patting her head in praise for the win, filling her with a warm, giddy, excited feeling. He was very proud of her winning on her own but made sure to let her know that she could've called on him in his own way which was encasing her in his flames. Everyone, (well almost everyone as from what she could see Colonello didn't use his flames like the rest of the her family did and he wasn't familiar with Mukuro. If he could sense the curling of Mukuro's flame around her, it might just seem to be possessive to him. Then again possessiveness came easily to her family) could tell why he did it, though knew him well enough to not voice those sort of things. Mukuro-sama... he didn't like showing he cared and while he knew their family wouldn't hold it against him as a weakness, it was a force of habit by now, "I-I wouldn't have been able to win if Mammon was at full strength from the beginning. I g-got lucky." Her slight stutter came back now that she wasn't in the middle of a battle and she was able to relax. Chrome knew the truth of that statement and it only made her more anxious to get to training so she could improve.

"The next battle is between the cloud guardians!"

* * *

"You have questions." Tsunahime stated once they had gotten back to their room and the house was quiet, the children having gone to sleep hours ago. She had told Kyoya that it was his turn to fight next and about the machine-like being he was fighting. Though she didn't have much information about him apart of the fact that he seemed to be Xanxus' assistant. She was a little confused about the Varia's cloud guardian because of his appearance but she assumed that someone must be in the machine in order for it to count as an actual guardian. Reborn nodded.

It seemed in the excitement of winning (and possibly how late it was) that Colonello had forgotten the conversation about the curse. Well, not completely forgotten but Colonello probably wouldn't ask again until the topic was brought up once more, his pride was like that. He probably didn't want to seem that he was desperate for a cure. Which they all were. Viper obviously wanted to ask/demand answers but being trapped as he was, couldn't. Reborn didn't have that problem. Still, he didn't quite know what he wanted to ask or rather he had so many questions that he didn't know where to start.

His bambina, thankfully, seemed to realise this because she didn't wait for any voiced questions, "I've known that you had a curse since you came kicking through my door. I didn't know the specifics and I still don't really know but I can feel flames." She was a being of fire in a way, it only made sense that she could feel flames so instinctively. She doubted anyone else apart from a phoenix had her level of sense when it came to them, "I could feel how your flames were being _sucked_ on by that _thing_." Calling it a pacifier, even though it sort of was, sounded wrong because something like that _shouldn't_ have even been made in the first place. Tsuna would prefer to die than have her flames caged in such a way, "I was… curious and so looked into it a little." Here, Tsuna looked embarrassed and slightly ashamed of herself. She knew how much Reborn's privacy meant to him and while she didn't fully know that then, it was still rude to do so. She wasn't looking into his private life but the curse was apart of his life and it was very much private.

Luckily, Reborn didn't seem to mind (and he really didn't. Sure, he didn't like the fact that Tsuna went looking without asking, or that she was even able to get the information then all of the Arcobaleno had searched for years now but he had met Bat and she was good at what she did, even if it did hurt his pride that she could seemingly do it so easily. However, Tsuna came back with information about the curse holding the Arcobaleno. That was _precious_ , not even their combined efforts could bring much to light) as he hadn't moved from his place opposite her, sitting on their shared bed and moved his flame to wrap around her reassuringly like she did to him. It was tentative at first, not wary but more careful, before gaining more confidence.

Tsunahime smiled, relieved to be forgiven before continuing on, "It wasn't until I met both Skull and Colonello that I really started to look into it apart from idle curiosity." Tsuna paused for a moment, wondering if she should add this or not. After all, she wasn't sure it would work yet, though the results she had gotten sounded promising, and she didn't want to give false hope. Though maybe false hope was better than living with years without any at all? With a nod to herself, the sky started again, "I might have recently found a way properly seal the curse as much as it can be."

Reborn's breath got caught in his throat. Did… did Tsunahime just say what he thought she did, "Might?" he managed to ask, staring wide-eyed at her, not bothering to hide his emotions.

Tsunahime nodded, carefully, "So far the results we have got say that it should work and it's on its way now. I didn't want to tell you incase…" incase it didn't work. They had made six of them, after seeing that the curse affected six other people (and one other that's was only half-cursed but that person -Lal, was it?- would need to be examined separately to make a seal for her). She couldn't expect to only seal Reborn and not think the others wouldn't notice the change. Plus, if she had found a way to seal it, it would be cruel of her to hoard that information. Tsunahime had heard of a cursed sky but apparently their curse worked differently than the other elements so she didn't think the seal they had made would work on the Arcobaleno Sky. She couldn't tell them how she got to making the seal (as far as Tsuna knew only one of the Arcobaleno was supernatural in nature) as that would go against so many unspoken rules but she could give out the seal without much fuss from the other side. Though, thinking about that, Tsunahime had yet to find a way to contact them all. Maybe she could ask Reborn to do it as a favour?

Reborn nodded, understanding that, but he still didn't know when she had time to do all this. Sneaking out at night was pretty much impossible considering she slept with him. Reborn would've woke if he felt her flame move away from him no matter how deeply he might've slept. His own flame actively sought the other's out subconsciously now. He couldn't even relax properly unless he knew she was safe and that often meant beside him, "When did you get enough time to do all of this?"

Tsuna tilted her head in thought, "When we went to see Bat. Her lack of sight is made up for her amazing ability to sense flames. She uses it as a sort of echolocation. While she can't sense flames to my ability, it is a close thing and her experience more than made up for that. She was examining how the curse affected you so she could counteract it properly." They had started their research before that, but Bat meeting Reborn was one of the big steps they needed to take so they knew they were on the right track.

The Strongest Sun narrowed his eyes, "When you asked me to leave to give her the pay?"

Tsuna nodded, "I was paying her for the information we got and the time she'd spend on researching the curse."

"That's got to be expensive."

Tsuna chuckled lightly, "Yes, it was. Luckily phoenixes are rare and so I had a few things I could give her as payment." Reborn's eyes narrowed further, Tsuna sighed in acceptance, "I give her two of my feathers and a vial of my condensed flames."

"And what does that mean for you?" Reborn had learnt that anything expensive in the supernatural world tended to be important in some way. Whether that was to a certain species, it being important to their culture, or because it was rare. The supernatural world didn't value money in the same sense humans did because it was so plentiful and it didn't have a practical function. Supernaturals tended to use a bartering system, exchanging one thing for another. Reborn understood the idea, though it was pretty strange to him, having used money to pay for things his whole life.

Tsuna smiled, "Well, the condensed flames were an ingredient for the seal, actually. It'll make it stronger due to the harmonising sky flame -making sure it doesn't affect you negatively when we put on the seal. And the sun flame would keep the seal active without it needing to be constantly charged. Phoenix's flames are always burning in a way so they won't run out or lose their affect over time."

"And the feathers?"

Tsuna was silent for a moment, "To… to give someone a phoenix feather is to give someone protection in a way. The feather would naturally ward off offensive flames to a certain extent and it has certain healing properties because the feather would be infused with my sun flame. If a supernatural sees the feather they'll know that person is protected by a phoenix. It's like a clearer, more visible, way of claiming someone though not as strongly as they aren't classed as family."

"There's more to it than that," deduced Reborn, "You wouldn't be avoiding the subject if that was the only thing to it."

Tsuna's head dipped slightly in resignation, "A phoenix's wings are valued as closely as our family; they are our pride. They are made from our flames, and in some way, they are our flames. Our feathers act as our protection as well as our weapon." Tsunahime sighed, "For a phoenix, to give one feather, nevermind two, it… it isn't something done often or lightly." Granted, the feathers were for two people, Bat was going to give the other feather to the person she was working with, but it was still something that made her feel uncomfortable. She trusted the ones who had them (Tsuna wouldn't have given the her feathers to them otherwise) but the feathers were apart of her soul-flames and thus apart of her. A part of her that wasn't with her. It was an uncomfortable thought to think on when she thought about it like that.

"You did that only for a chance to see if there's a chance to seal the curse?" Reborn asked, softly. He understood pride, to give it up even when that pride was what basically allowed her to survive was a big deal. Sure, you could argue that Tsuna had many feathers, and she did, or that those feathers could grow back, which they could, but it was the idea behind it. What it meant to Tsunahime was important and obviously had something to do with the Phoenix Culture she had grown up learning about.

Tsuna gave him a sharp look, offended, "I did that because it gave you a chance to get your life back. I didn't do it to seal the curse, but to break it. We just haven't got to that part yet." His bambina smiled, and cuddled him to her chest (he wanted to be bigger, dammit! Then she would be the one getting hugged and he wouldn't have to deal with being cuddled like a glorified teddy bear, no matter how nice it felt), "I would do it as many times as I need to in order to break this curse."

Reborn relaxed in her hold, as Tsunahime settled them in a more comfortable position. His mind was spinning. She had actually found a way to seal the curse. No only that but that seal was coming here. He might be free from the fear of waking up and realising he was more tired (bone achingly tired) than he should be, realising that the curse was slowly catching up to him. Even better, Tsuna said she was researching a way to _break_ the curse. As in being in an adult body once more! He didn't have much hope about actually breaking it, it had been years, _decades_ , since he had first been cursed but if she had found a way to seal it than surely she could, maybe just maybe, break it...? Despite himself, Reborn hoped, oh, he so desperately hoped.

He was so deep in his thoughts, Reborn nearly missed the whispered, "You are one of my Own, Reborn. I take care of my Own."

 _Nearly_.

* * *

 **And done! Yay, mist battle complete!**

 **Chrome won all on her own! I felt that Chrome needed a moment where Mukuro didn't need to come to her rescue because she is completely bad-ass in her own way, though still finding her feet.**

 **More info about the curse and Tsuna has found a way to seal it, and isn't coming pretty soon. Soon, as in time in the Fanfic though. Sorry, I've just finished my final bullet points for the rest of the Varia arc and it doesn't finish til Chapter 33 ish. Seriously, why am I adding so much detail? There's only supposed to be the cloud and sky battles left. How does that add up to ten more chapters? Anyway, at least you guys can be sure I won't be rushing through it...**

 **Once again thanks for the reviews and see you next time!**


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter Twenty Five

The cloud battle was tonight and the wolf demon, from what Reborn could see, was entirely unconcerned about the whole thing. For the most part, the discipline committee leader napped, laying out on the back porch in the sun like a cat would. Hibari chirping softly on the prefect's head in its sleep. Reborn didn't know if Hibari was being arrogant or that he simply didn't care until the time to fight came around. With his personality, it could be both. Tsuna didn't seemed surprised about her cloud element's behaviour though, so he decided that it wasn't something he needed to worry about or act on.

At any rate, Reborn doubted that Hibari would lose (his clumsy student called, not even a full day into the wolf's training, and said he couldn't teach Hibari anything all the while sounding like he was in deep pain. Reborn might have to up Dino's training when he got a moment, he was clearly slipping and that was _unacceptable_ ), though the lack of information about the Gola Mosca guardian was worrying. He knew it was a robotic suit of some kind but he had no idea who was within it.

"This way, please, Master Fon." spoke one of the servants that the mansion held. Reborn raised an eyebrow as Fon revealed himself by turning the corner. He was in his usual red cheongsam-style shirt with white sleeve cuffs, that was copied by his pupil, I-Pin, with white baggy trousers and black flats. He had a long black braid with his fringe being similar to Hibari's and almost gentle reddish-brown eyes. Lichi, Fon's animal partner, was a red faced, white monkey, balancing on his head which was where the animal usually sat. Fon held his usual serene, peaceful smile. Now that Reborn thought about it, Fon and Hibari looked way too much alike and with their personalities being so different, thinking about them as relatives was just plain _weird_.

Tsunahime, besides him, looked up before blinking in surprise and bowing slightly in respect, "Welcome, Fon-san. Can I get you something to drink? Some tea, perhaps?" Reborn nodded in greeting to the man and wondered about how she know who Fon was before reminding himself that Hibari was her element and so the carnivorous boy had probably told her.

Fon's smile seemed to widen into something more genuine, "Oolong tea please, if you have any, Tsunahime-san. I hope I haven't come at an unwelcome time."

Tsuna smiled back, seemingly pleased (Reborn _knew_ he should have kept them apart. Their smiles were practically identical. He really didn't like the thought of Fon being anywhere near _his_ bambina. And that wasn't jealousy talking… Really, it wasn't.) with him, "Of course not. This is your home and I am merely a guest here. Please, wait for a moment and I'll prepare your tea." With that, Tsunahime stood up and wondered out of the room to get the tea. Reborn watched her go before turning his attention to his fellow Arcobaleno. While he knew the Strongest Storm was around the area, Reborn didn't think that Fon would just turn up completely unannounced. Or, at least, not so openly.

Fon sat down in front of him with his arms resting in his sleeves and Reborn took that as his que to start questioning the Chinese man, "How do you know Tsuna?" because that greeting, while formal, didn't sound like they were complete strangers.

Fon wasn't offended that Reborn had barely even said hello. He was more than amused by the almost possessive tone his fellow Arcobaleno's voice had taken though. He wondered how much blackmail he could collect from the hitman from this development (Fon may be the most counted as the most peaceful of the Arcobaleno but that didn't mean he couldn't be a troll when he wanted to be. He was just more… subtle than Reborn, preferring to use his legendary calm to make people sweat instead of Reborn's preferred mind games. Of course, Reborn knew about his personality but he also knew that nobody suspected the polite Chinese man. Especially not when Reborn was in the same area.) Fon voiced none of this though, best not tip off his almost friend about his future as Fon's amusement, "Well, I haven't met her officially until today but Kyoya did tell me she was his sky. I can see why Kyoya would pick her as his sky." And he could. Her flames were drifting around the entire house. It wasn't an aggressive claiming but more like a warning to others that the people within the house was protected. It was a calming atmosphere to be in. She also had manners, which was a welcome change. The mafia and the triads only used them when they wanted something and they got thrown out of the window at the first sign of violence. Not that Kyoya was the only reason why he knew about Tsunahime. She was well talked about in some circles.

The mere fact that she was sitting with Reborn in comfortable silence, with the hitman, who wasn't even attempting to make chaos at the moment spoke volumes of her character. The silence was one that equals would sit in and Reborn was only that calm when he was around someone he respected. If Reborn who, much like all the Strongest, hadn't had the best experiences with skies (even if you exclude Luce) was able to be that comfortable in the presence of a sky... It was clear to Fon, the moment he had caught the sight of the scene that Tsuna respected boundaries (which was good because Fon doubted he could take any more of skies trying to forcefully pull him in. Luckily, most knew better to even think about that nowadays after he had made some examples out of a few of them). Reborn wasn't even that comfortable with Dino, who had been the sun's student for awhile now. Not that Fon knew why Reborn would want to teach an inexperienced sky in the first place. Oh, he knew Reborn had a secret love for teaching (not that Fon could say anything as he quite enjoyed it as well) but young skies who didn't have any guardians tended to try and pull in any element near them without thinking. It must have been hell on Reborn's flames, it would have been on Fon's.

Tsuna walked back in the living room with a tray of drinks. She had some green tea for herself and had gotten Reborn a cup of espresso as well as Fon's oolong tea as requested (she was glad she was entertaining someone who seemed to appreciate tea. Reborn swore by coffee only and refused to even attempt to drink some tea). Setting out the drinks on the coffee table, Tsuna retook her spot next to Reborn, "If you don't mind me asking, Fon-san, may I ask why you are here?" Because while this was technically his house (the mansion belonged to all Hibaris and Fon's little sister married into the family so he was a Hibari, if only by extension. When the Hibaris saw how strong Fon was, they had no problem welcoming him into the family, even with his cursed form), from what Kyoya said about the 'annoying carnivore' they didn't have the best relationship. Plus Fon tended to stay over in China, from what she had heard.

"I heard Kyoya was taking part in the ring battles and wanted to watch the outcome." Which was true but she sensed that was only a half-truth, still it was a good enough reason to be here and she couldn't just kick him out, "I also heard I-Pin was living with you." Again, not the full truth, but she couldn't sense anything malicious.

Still, Tsuna nodded, accepting the reasons, "Kyoya hopes that his opponent will be up to his standards. While they are strong people in town, he has 'bitten to death' all of them by now and attacking the same people all the time can get boring." Fon smiled in amusement, hearing Tsunahime's silent sympathy. It seemed Kyoya's sky also liked to fight. How delightful. "I-Pin did mention a master Fon. She has spoken quite highly of you."

"Thank you for taking her under your wing." Fon bowed, dipping his head a little more than needed, showing how just how grateful he was. Before I-Pin left for her last mission, he had heard rumours of the triad wanting to see how the child would respond when her mission was an assassination without Fon being there to watch over her. To say the least, Fon was… displeased with that and had made his opinion known. Needless to say, the triads won't be looking from I-Pin anymore. Not that they had any right in the first place. I-Pin was only his apprentice, and had nothing to do with the triads other than his association with them. With the example he made before coming to Namimori, Fon couldn't imagine they'll over step their boundaries again for awhile.

"Its been my pleasure. I-Pin is very well behaved and has been a good friend for Lambo." Fon's smiled widened at the fact that his student now has a friend her age. I-Pin always had trouble with that in China. Civilians were too strange for her to relax around and the children in the triads tended to stay away from her because of him being her master (or they took advantage of her pure desire for friendship and tried to use her to get to him). "She's currently in the garden if you want to see her. Kyoya is taking a nap outside, as well."

Fon smiled once again before bowing, "Thank you again, I'll go do that." He stood up, picked up his tea and left for the garden with a simple nod to Reborn. Tsuna tilted her head in thought as she watched the small chinese man disappear around the corner.

"Bambina?"

"Ah, it's nothing, I'm just wondering what else he's here for." replied Tsuna. Reborn narrowed his eyes, was her hyper intuition acting up? Surely Fon should know that Tsuna was _his_ student and he wouldn't let any harm come to her, plus she was Hibari's sky. Fon probably wasn't here to cause intentional harm, he was one of the most honourable Arcobaleno barring the two military ones (and maybe Skull because he was a civilian before the curse) and wouldn't attack without someone provoking him. The triads probably didn't even care about Tsuna (they might not even know about her) because she was mafia so he couldn't be here on a job… Besides if he was on a job, he would outright say he was here to kill her instead of trying to hide it. It was one of the things Reborn liked about Fon, you could trust trust him to stab you in the front instead of the back.

Reborn resolved himself to keeping a close eye on the martial artist.

In the back of her head, Tsuna felt the pull of a flame...

* * *

While her cloud was self assured of his victory for the upcoming battle, Tsunahime wasn't so sure. It wasn't that she thought Kyoya could lose (Kyoya was probably one of her strongest elements and her other elements had been able to deal with their opponents pretty well) but Tsuna's intuition went off, screaming at her, everytime she even thought about the battle and its outcome. She didn't know what was going to happen but it just wouldn't stop and was giving her a rather nasty headache.

Said headache wasn't being helped by the battle that was currently going on outside. Kyoya had seen Fon and, quite predictably, launched himself at the cursed being with his tonfa. They weren't going all out, Kyoya, for all his blood lust, gave his word that he'd win his ring battle and he wouldn't injure himself before that. Demons took their word seriously and once given it couldn't be broken. Well, it could, Tsuna supposed, it wasn't magically binding or anything like that but demons tended to have very loose morals and so they made sure to stick to the ones they did have. Giving their word and keeping it was one of their morals. To break their word was to bring shame to themselves and their family. Kyoya was very loyal to the rules he did care enough about to follow and so it went without saying that Kyoya wouldn't be losing his fight.

Still, despite the fact that they weren't going all out, it didn't stop the phoenix from wincing every time they made a sound that was too loud. It echoed in her head, and did she mention that her head just wouldn't stop _banging_? It got so bad that she had to bring her hand to her head and start massaging her temple, hoping for some relief. At least the tea she was having was soothing to drink.

This, of course, brought her Reborn's attention (he seemed to be very in tune with her, maybe it was because their flames were always around each other? Tsuna had started to feel anxious if she couldn't feel Reborn's soul-flame near her, thankfully it hadn't happened often because Reborn went out of his way to stay close to her. She wondered if the hitman felt the same when she was too far away from him), who was watching the fight outside with glee through the window.

At some point, Kyoya had released his half-demon form and was now sporting black wolf ears and tail. His eyes seemed a lot more beast like, his canines were sharper and longer than normal, appearing almost like fangs if he bared his teeth, and he was growling more than he usual did too (this made Reborn wonder if Fon was supernatural too, considering Hibari was his nephew and the boy was a full demon. Though Reborn couldn't really see Fon as a wolf. The martial artists was really good at hiding it if Reborn didn't even suspect that something was off before he knew about the existence of the supernatural). Fon also seemed to be enjoying himself. The smile he wore held a more predatory edge and something close to excitement as he traded blows with his nephew. It was probably good for Fon to fight someone challenging. When she fought with Reborn the first time, he fought with the desperation of a starved man. From what Tsuna could infer, it had been a long time since someone had allowed them to feel the thrill of battle. It was probably why she had seen Reborn in the arena every so often. He would get Tsuna to come and spar with him during the same day so Tsuna just stuck around while he had his fun. After the others got over the fact that Reborn was, in fact, a normal (which really was no way to describe Reborn) human, abet cursed, they were quite happy to fight him. It probably helped when they heard Reborn was close to her and when they did fight him they found he wasn't quite as helpless as they first thought he would be. Meaning they ended up losing and their pride battered and beaten on the ground with Reborn smirking at them tauntingly. Luckily, not many kicked up a fuss. Reborn did lose a couple of fights (and seemed even more excited when he did) in the beginning and everyone there was there to get a good fight. Anyone who made too much of a fuss was quickly taught not to. Whether it was by Reborn himself, or by one of the others fighters.

(Reborn had a harder time winning a fight but it was improving his skills drastically. His reflexes and strength was pretty much supernatural now, having forced his body to improve under the new opponents he'd found, despite his curse. What was more supernatural however, in Tsuna's mind, was his learning curve. He soaked everything up with startling ease. Having a title like 'World's Greatest Hitman' made more sense when she thought about that. If he didn't have such strong sun flames, Tsuna didn't know if his body could keep up with what Reborn was demanding it to do, especially with the cursed form he was walking around in. Tsuna would have gotten Ryohei to check if she didn't already know that it would not be appreciated. Besides, Reborn couldn't have gotten as strong as he was without knowing his own limits and he was a tutor with his own sun flames so he should be alright. At least, that was what Tsuna was telling herself.)

Reborn gave her searching look, his interest in the ongoing fight forgotten once he saw that his bambina was in pain, "What's wrong, bambina?"

Tsuna smiled softly at the concerned tone the man's voice had taken, however, she soon frowned again once her head began throbbing once more, "My intuition just won't stop screaming at me. I don't know what's wrong but something about this next fight is worrying me." Her intuition lead her to believe that it probably wasn't a danger to her family (or at least not too much of a danger that they couldn't handle it) directly but whatever it was, Tsuna could tell it would be on Iemitsu's level of annoying. At least.

"Do you think Hibari will lose?" he asked, jumping up to her shoulder and using some of his own flames to help the ease the pain. Because it was her own intuition, Tsuna's flames didn't recognise it as something that needed healing. He couldn't do much, his sun flame trapped by the curse but with some concentration he could use enough of his flames to complete the task. It helped that his flames were so in tune with his emotions nowadays that he only needed to give a vague direction before they did most of the work for him.

Tsuna sighed in relief and smiled brightly in thanks, Reborn's lips twitched up into a smile before going back into his usual smirk in response, "Gods, no!" Tsuna nearly laughed at the thought before deciding it probably wasn't best to risk it, "Maybe it's something to do with what will happen after the outcome?" she asked herself and smiled when her intuition gave a happy hum. "Okay, something to do with what will happen after."

"Should we up the security around the arena?" Reborn asked. He knew that the vongola hyper intuition usually hinted when something was wrong or correct and Tsuna had mentioned that it could sometimes almost summon images when it ran strong in someone. Regardless, it wasn't very good with precise answers and usually asking 'yes' or 'no' questions helped narrow it down to an answer they could figure out.

Tsuna frowned and held back a finch as it suddenly started up again, "That's a 'no'." Given Reborn's look, she wasn't able to hide her pain very well.

"So we should loosen it instead?" Asked the hitman with a raised eye and a slightly sarcastic tone, his patience short when he saw the amount of pain Tsuna was going through. His sun flames clearly didn't hold it off very well and Reborn did not like that fact. He hadn't thought about it before but having a voice (could it be even counted as a voice?) inside your head constantly shouting at you when it is so strong had got to be painful once it hit a certain level.

Surprisingly, she nodded, "Apparently." Tsuna hummed faintly, thinking about how she could loosen the security without potentially endangering them if something went wrong (or at least even more wrong than what her intuition was suggesting), "Maybe I could lower some of the charms around the area?"

"Which ones?"

"Maybe the ones that stops your average person from finding the place if they weren't invited?" Tsuna's shoulders dropped in relief once the pain finally stopped, nearly dislodging Reborn in the process.

Regaining his footing and grabbing Tsuna's neck tighter than he needed to do in slight retribution as her head was in pain before and he didn't want to start it up again (even if he knew that thought was pretty illogical), "I'll take that as a 'yes'." he offered drily.

Tsuna chuckled, "My apologies." she said, wrapping her flames around him in hopes of being forgiven though knowing Reborn wasn't really that upset about it, "I'll go call Tsuki to let her know." Tsuna tilted her head, "I'll also tell the others to expect some more people than usual. I'm guessing with the charms down they'll find the arena so they can watch the battles. I think Basil was supposed to watch us for the CEFED." she mused.

"They might have given up." Reborn shrugged, "It has been four days now." He knew Dino was busy trying to deal with something famiglia related at the moment. It had something to do with Iemitsu, his student had said, but by that point Reborn didn't care. He knew Dino was getting more than a little annoyed about being treated like he was a lackey of the Vongola when he was the boss of an allied family, even if he didn't really show it. And Dino should be annoyed, Reborn thought, Dino was _his_ student and deserved to be treated with more respect. It was almost like the Vongola was indirectly insulting him and Reborn _would not_ let that stand.

* * *

The group hadn't even entered the building before the Gola Mosca dropped in, quite literally. It stood up, emitting smoke, ominously. Fon was on Takeshi's shoulder, smiling as he always made quite the image, the two perpetually smiling as if they were trying to 'out-smile' the other. Tsuna lips twitched with effort to restrain a laugh when she imagined the two in a smiling contest instead of a staring one.

Stretching her senses a little, she could sense some of Dino's men around the area watching from afar. They were being watched by her mists, who was also watching from afar. Dino probably wanted to see how Kyoya would fare against someone of Varia Quality (Reborn said that the whole Varia Quality thing meant a lot in the mafia) given that he didn't end up very well against Kyoya, from what her cloud said (which was very little, the battle hadn't held much interest for the wolf, apart from wanting to put the 'herbivore' in his place). Though why he sent his men instead of going himself, Tsuna couldn't say. She was missing some information it seemed. Though, Reborn hadn't told her anything to it probably wasn't immediately important.

Kyoya, who was walking as far in front of the group as was possible while still being considered apart of said group turned to look at the machine, "So, that's the one…" he smirked, already feeling his blood raise in anticipation. Fighting with the annoying carnivore this morning was a good workout. He hoped his opponent was as good as the rest of his pack got as they all seemed to like their battle (baring Hayato who had lost, and despite their sky's easy acceptance of this, was still feeling quite touchy about it. The wolf figured the dog needed some time of gather his pride again, Kyoya hated to lose as well), "I'll bite you to death."

Ryohei sighed, sounding both confused and exasperated, "That guy still says crazy things..." The exorcist was imagining Hibari literally biting someone to death. At least when Tsuki said things like that, she could actually do it. Tsuki was extreme like that!

Fon's smile widened in his amusement.

* * *

The cervello intervened before Kyoya could decide he'd rather have his fight there than wait till they arrived at the actual battle ground. They led everyone to the the roof once again, where barbed wire marked out a large area to fight in. Within the circle the wire had marked out, were several gatling guns around the edge. It looked like something out of a military camp.

"This is the field for the cloud guardians' battle. The cloud ground." Tsuna blinked at the name of the battleground. That didn't sound as exciting as the others and it wasn't in Italian either. Kyoya didn't seem very fazed by the area he was going to fight in and easily went to his marked area, Mocsa was standing opposite him.

"G-gatling guns?" shouted Hayato, surprised.

"The mission of the cloud guardian is to be the aloof, drifting cloud who protects the family from an independant standpoint, and whom nobody can bind." started the cervello, "Therefore, we have prepared the most extreme field for them. The field is surrounded on all sides by barbed wire and gatling guns that attack anything within a 30 meter radius." Tsuna tilted her head as she attempted to measure the size of the field, if she was right then that would only leave the middle of the area to be free of gun fire, "Furthermore, there are pressure-sensitive mines buried under the ground. Once activated, an alarm will sound followed immediately by an explosion."

...

It was silent as each group processed that information (how did this battle ground represent a cloud apart from the fact that most liked to attack things?) but Kyoya easily broke it, speaking cooly, "Don't call me that."

The cervello blinked, confused, it was one of the only emotion they had seen pass through their face, "Pardon?"

"I am not something as herbivorous as a guardian." he growled. Tsuna gave a startled laughed, it figured Kyoya got hung up on that part of the explanation despite everything else that was said after.

"Only guardians can fight in these battles. Are you saying you are not Tsunahime's guardian?"

Kyoya bared his teeth, the growl becoming deeper and more threatening at the perceived insult to his Alpha's pride, "Alpha has no need for bodyguards. I am a bonded element, not a guardian." He paused for a moment before turning a vicious glare at the judges, "Call me that herbivorous title again and I'll bite you to death."

The cervello, who were obviously still very confused despite Kyoya's explanation, turned to the cloud's sky for something that made more sense, not wanting to anger the clearly impatient cloud anymore. The Varia and Fon doing the same, ever since the Primo people had always called the bonded elements 'guardians', it was strange for someone to deny the title.

Tsuna smiled at them politely, "I'm not very fond of the title as it makes people think that I am too weak to defend myself and need others to do it for me. I just call my bonded 'elements' if I need to. Besides, most of my bonded aren't really the guarding type." They saw no need to guard her if they could merely take out the one threatening her instead. It was quicker that way.

The Varia blinked but nodded in agreement and understanding, that made a lot of sense and they preferred that to the 'guardian' thing when they thought about it like that. Fon stared at Tsuna for a moment and then Reborn (who seemed very comfortable on the sky's shoulder, he noticed), considering, before pulling his attention back to the fight about to take place, not wanting to be seen staring.

"Ah, wait!" shouted Ryohei, "Hibari is all the way over there so we can't do the extreme circle!" Tsuna got the distinct impression that the wolf was smirking as he stood still in the middle of the battleground, not even glancing in their direction. The barbed wire separating him from the rest of the group.

"Haha. I'm sure Hibari-senpai is here with us in spirit." and with that Tsuna's rain dragged everyone around to make a circle and shouting the chant once more. Kyoya growled at them, annoyed by his packs behaviour (even if he might not _completely_ mind that they had included him in their little ritual, not that he'd admit that on pain of death), even more so when Fon willingly joined in, who glanced in his direction with a smile. Annoying carnivore.

"Then we'll begin." started the cervello, jumping out of the way to announce, "The cloud ring - Gola Mosca vs Hibari Kyoya. Begin the battle!"

The Mocsa wasted no time and turned on the thrusters he had on his feet, launching himself at Kyoya, flying, fire at its feet. The machine lifted his hands, charging his attack…

Kyoya struck, as fast and as ferocious as his demon type would suggest. The cloud's tonfa didn't even struggle as it _tore_ through the machine's arm as easily as ripping paper. The arm dropped to the ground, with a dull thud, wires sparking randomly as the Mocsa followed, collapsing onto the ground.

Kyoya landed on the other side, clicking the two halves of the vongola cloud ring and pocketing it.

Silence rung out.

* * *

 **So what do you think?**

 **Fon got introduced this chapter! Fon has always been one of my favourite out of the Arcobaleno because of his completely serene expression even when Chaos was happening around him. We've got some foreshadowing for the later chapters that Fon has something to do with as well.**

 **Kyoya's battle (if you could call it that) was short. I apologise but I can't imagine him dragging it out for any reason. But that's the cloud battle completed so there is only the sky battle before I'm done with this arc. I can't wait for the future arc! I've got so many ideas!**

 **Thanks for the reviews and I hope you enjoyed it!**


	26. Chapter 26

**I'm really sorry for not updating yesterday. I was pretty ill and wasn't able to get out of bed. :( Fortunately, I'm somewhat better now so I can update. Once again, I'm sorry about that. Luckily, I had already written this chapter. Anyway, I hope you enjoy.**

 **BTW, I probably should have given this warning eariler but it slipped my mind. The Varia are included in this arc so they will be swearing. I'll try and moderate it to a certain extent but swearing/being vulgar is sort of the Varia's thing. I've toned it down on the previous chapters but we'll be getting some more of their prospective later on.**

* * *

Chapter Twenty Six

Kyoya was disappointed as the silence continued.

He was _very_ disappointed.

Why did everyone else have new, _strong_ opponents and he got this crap hunk of metal?! He even stopped himself from fighting with the annoying carnivore (who, while annoying, was stronger than him -which was irritating but he could admit that- and so gave him a challenge every time they fought. It would be better if the carnivore stopped being a baby but Alpha was working on that) incase his opponent was stronger than he expected. Kyoya gave his word to his Alpha that he would win his fight.

Turned out his opponent was a herbivore pretending to be carnivore.

He felt cheated.

Well, if his opponent was weak than all he needed to do was seek out a stronger one. That was the one of the reasons why he was bothering to do this ring battle. With that thought in mind, Kyoya turned to the leader of the Varia, knowing he'd prove himself strong if he commanded the others. He ignored everyone's (excluding his pack because his pack knew of his strength and wouldn't doubt him so easily) shocked expressions. Did they think he'd play cat and mouse with the herbivore? Kyoya was already holding back enough as it was on his Alpha's order but that didn't mean he would make himself so weak that he needed to play with the herbivore, "You, the one sitting over there. Come down here. Until I beat you, I can't go home." Kyoya demanded. Alpha shouldn't mind if he took her opponent. She didn't really believe in this ring nonsense anyway and was only participating because the pack wanted someone new to fight.

The boss of the not-herbivores (they were so close to being carnivores but they felt retrained to him, like a tiger barely chained, he actually felt some level of sympathy for them. If he was chained like they were… Kyoya mentally growled, all of his instincts rebelling against the mere thought of something like that happening) smirked, seemingly amused, before jumping and aiming a kick at him. The wolf's jacket fell from his shoulders and on to the hard ground when he raised his tonfa to block the attack, effortlessly. There was power behind the strike but not enough for Xanxus to be fighting seriously. Still, the man's excited grin told Kyoya that he was lusting for a fight.

How convenient.

The not-herbivore boss jumped, using Kyoya's beloved tonfa as a launching pad and flipped in the air before landing smoothly on the ground, "My foot slipped." the not-herbivore commented, almost carelessly, his grin turning into a smirk.

"Right." a hint of sarcasm laced the wolf demon's voice.

"No, really. I only came down to get that piece of junk." Behind the carnivorous boy, the machine exploded, smoke engulfing its form, "We have lost."

"Hn." Kyoya's eyes narrowed, why was this man lusting for a fight if he refused to have one? "Your face tells a different story." and with that, the wolf charged at him. The man jumped out of the way, as Kyoya continued to chase him putting more and more strength behind his shrikes each time, feeling the excitement rush through his blood getting higher and higher...

* * *

"Why is Hibari extremely attacking? He's already won!" asked Ryohei as the gatling guns went off, firing at the two people running around the battle ground. It didn't even pause the two fighting in the area. Well, Xanxus had yet to technically attack, wanting to stay in the rules of the ring battles as much as possible. That thought made Tsuna pause and frown, her intuition going off.

"Haha, Hibari-senpai must not have been happy with his opponent." responded Takeshi, some of the land mines exploded. No one paid it much thought.

"Ah," started Fon, sounding slightly sheepish, "That might have been my fault. We had a small spar before the battle. I assume that it got Kyoya worked up a little." Tsuna didn't really mind that, stopping Kyoya when he was in this sort of mood was never a good idea and so she let him be. He looked like he was enjoying himself anyway.

Still… Her intuition buzzed...

"Stop!" shouted Tsuna, suddenly, understanding (somewhat) what her intuition was trying to tell her. At the sound of her almost panicked voice, her family stopped and turned to look at her. Kyoya jumping away from his opponent, doing the same, "Kyoya stop fighting, let Xanxus take the his guardian away." Tsuna ordered, sharply.

* * *

The wolf frowned but at the sight of his Alpha truly troubled by something, obeyed, letting his arms hang by his side but keeping watch on the not-herbivore with hungry, vicious eyes. It was a good thing he listened to his Alpha though because his instincts had him jumping back and dodging a red beam of light. The heat radiating off the attack brushed past his leg but it wasn't close enough to harm him. In the background, he could hear the not-herbivore saying something to the cervello but he wasn't focusing on him anymore.

No, he was focusing on the missiles flying towards his pack.

With an animalistic, enraged growl, Kyoya jumped in front of his pack (how dare that piece of junk attack his pack! The pack he swore to protect, to live for, to belong in) and raised his tonfa to defend them against the attack. Smoke filled the area they were standing in. All the Varia and the cervello could see was the black, thick smoke and the red fire-like glow that emitted from inside the smoke.

However, it wasn't the cloud boy that had defended the others like the onlookers thought but their sky, who bore flame-like wings on her back. The powerful wings summoned a gust of wind that cleared away the smoke with ease.

Tsuna, for her part, was concentrating. Revealing the supernatural to average humans wasn't against the law per say, but it wasn't done without thought. When she saw the missiles and Kyoya in front of her and his fellow elements, she just reacted. She had brought out her half-phoenix form and deflected the missiles before catching herself and using every ounce of control she had gotten from her training with Reborn and shifted slightly. She was now between her half-phoenix and human form. Her hair still retrained her usual brown colour, though if someone was to look closely enough they'd see a hint of colour that threatened to take over the brown, and her eyes glowed a golden-amber. As an extra precaution, she had encase her wings in her flame to make it look like she had merely used her flames to make wing-like shapes rather than actual wings. Reborn was still on her shoulder, the flames merely a comforting warmth to him rather than the burning heat others would feel if they wasn't recognised as part of her family. Still, this form felt _wrong_ to her. She didn't like it. Not at all. It felt like she was suffocating but still having just enough oxygen to _breathe_ at the same time.

At that thought, she breathed in, as if reassuring herself that she could breathe (she wasn't going to be using this ever again if she had a say in it, this was awful) before speaking, "Kyoya, you should know you don't need to guard us. You aren't the guarding type, remember?" her voice was soft, almost a whisper, but everyone managed to hear it.

Kyoya bowed his head slightly, relaxing his tense form, "Yes, Alpha." He should have known. Alpha did say something like that before his 'battle' but it was instinct. When he saw his pack in danger… Still, he should've know that with Alpha there they wouldn't need him to defend them. They had their pride too. He wasn't the only strong one in his pack, he realised, and defending them like that was like saying he didn't trust his pack to take care of themselves. That they were too weak to do so.

He'd need to correct that instinct. His pack was trained by him, after all. They could protect themselves. They didn't need him to jump in front of the biggest threat. Still, he thought as he looked upon his pack, that didn't mean he had to _completely_ stop. He would just need to see if the danger that they were currently facing was something they could deal with and act accordingly.

Kyoya didn't guard people but he protected his pack. And to Kyoya, those two words meant two very different things.

To protect, meant to keep something (someone) safe, away from harm. Not because they needed someone to protect them but because you felt the need to take care of that person. You trusted that person to be able to look after themselves but wanted to contribute in some way. To guard, however, meant to keep someone safe because they couldn't do it do themselves. You didn't trust that person to take care of themselves.

Kyoya trusted both his Alpha and fellow elements to look after themselves but his instincts told him to protect them as well. They didn't need him to keep them safe from harm, they didn't chain him in one place by being too weak, they weren't weak herbivores.

He had… forgotten that for a moment.

He wouldn't forget again.

* * *

Xanxus stared in shock as, he was pretty sure, everyone else was doing. The mini-trash's flames flared out from her back to form vague bird-like _wings_. The orange flames had bits of yellow flashing into sight every so often. They were majestic, the wings, large (almost looking too large for the mini-trash, yet it somehow looked right) as well. The tips of the wings was only a few inches from the floor. Even though they were clearly made out of flames, he could sense the sheer power they must have held if they were real. They moved like real wings too, as the mini-trash stretched them, each wing having about a four foot width when fully stretched.

The mini-trash turned to him and he forced himself out of his shock (because _wings_? He'd heard of some vongola bosses having strange weapons, the fourth used a _fork_ as his weapon, but using your own flames to form wings was a new one. He didn't even know you could get that amount of control over your flames to keep them in a solid form. If she was a mist, it'd be more believable but that was what their flames were geared towards, construction) and saw that the World's Greatest Hitman was _still_ on the girl's shoulder. The cursed baby didn't even seem to notice the flames behind him as he didn't look like he was about to move anytime soon. And thinking about that cursed baby, what was Fon, the World's Greatest Martial Artist, doing here? He thought Colonello was the only other Acrobanelo around these parts apart from Mammon. Fon should be in China.

The second thing he noticed was that the mini-trash's eyes were glowing orange. Xanxus expected them to feel like Timoteo (not _his_ old man anymore, just _an_ old man, not his father) but they didn't. They didn't even look the same. Sure, they both were orange but Tsunahime's looked almost gold in a certain light. Where Timoteo's were heavy, full of judgement and disappointment, Tsuna's were sharp, almost calculating and edged with a calmness that seemed otherworldly yet when she glanced at her elements (not guardians, she refused that title and Xanxus wished he did the same given the reason she gave. Well, there was time for that later), her eyes stayed calm but they turned soft and warm. No, the mini-trash's eyes were nothing like Timoteo's. Even when the ninth looked at his own guardians or Family, his eyes looked down at them. There was no one equal to him in that old man's eyes, not even the other bosses of the allied famiglias.

While Xanxus wanted Vongola to be strong, he didn't want it arrogant. The vongola family was crippled with its arrogance. It was only due to its reputation and his Varia's work that no one had found out how crap the security was around the Iron Fort lately. After all, no one would _dare_ to attack that fortress. Xanxus snorted, you'd think the so called 'cradle affair' would get them to change that. Given that his people was able to sneak out his mostly ice encased form, they haven't even tried. Timoteo had started to release him and Xanxus had flared his flames to let his guardians know. They took him halfway through the process when Timoteo left to get some rest.

"What is this, Leader of the Varia? Are you attacking one of my Own?" The mini-trash's voice commanded respect, the words falling easily from her lips. Still, there was no judgement, only question in her eyes. She had a level head, she wouldn't attack without how the full story. It was better than some, he thought to himself (the ninth came to mind, the bastard). Xanxus managed a careless shrug (there was something in her voice, something that he didn't recognise but knew it was dangerous), "I was only trying to receive my junk. Your cloud stopped me and now Mocsa restraining system has been broken."

He wondered how they'd deal with this situation. He planned on this happening even before the ring battles were officially confirmed but he thought the heir that Timoteo had chosen would be different. He thought they'd be either an arrogant, self-entitled arse or a weak civilian that would be Timoteo's puppet so he could still control the family while not technically being the head anymore.

That wasn't what he got though and the mini-trash and her elements weren't so bad. They were Quality. She wouldn't allow herself to be controlled and she wasn't an arrogant piece of shit either. If he was being honest with himself, he didn't want the mini-trash to die because, well, she was alright in his book. The mini-trash treated him and his elements with the type of respect you'd give any dangerous predator (she was polite but she wasn't stupid. The girl had never once fully turned her back on him at all during any of the battles. Always keeping an eye on him. She didn't expect him to attack at any given moment like those idiot guardians of the ninth did but merely let him know that she counted him as dangerous and until he gave her a reason to trust him, she wouldn't).

Xanxus could see himself working with her regardless of the outcome of this battle.

* * *

Fon's smile threatened to turn into concerned frown as he looked upon the now rampaging machine, "It looks like it has gone berserk." he assessed, serenely.

"Haha, that doesn't look too good." laughed Takeshi, agreeing with the cursed baby on his shoulder. Reborn watched the two smile at each other, looking completely at peace with their surrounding despite the chaos (and he did approve of that) and couldn't help but think he was wrong. Oh, Tsuna and Fon did get along, perhaps too well for his liking, but Takeshi and Fon were like twin brothers or something. Takeshi was just more energetic than Fon in his constant calm.

"T-that's a compressed particle beam!" shouted Hayato, sounding more excited than terrified as the scientist in him leaned forward to get a better look as it destroyed more buildings.

"That's some extreme power!" exclaimed Ryohei, watching some bits of rubble fall off the building, a hole where the beam shot. The boxer grinned, with a fist pump, getting fired up.

"You're paying for all this damage, cervello chicks." drawled Tsuki, reminding them of their promise, as she kept one eye on her boss while still appearing bored. She didn't even know humans could cause so much damage on a whim. No wonder Tsunahime-sama found them worthy of her attention. This looked fun.

Mukuro and Chrome faded into existence besides Kyoya, who growled at the male mist on principle, "Kufufufu, it's been awhile since I have seen such beautiful destruction." his voice was tinted with sadistic delight. Mukuro was slightly leaning on his trident with a carelessness that was at complete odds with the fire, smoke and _falling buildings_ that was going on around him.

"I-is everyone alright?" asked Chrome, hugging her trident like usual. Her lone eye jumping from element to element, even landing on Reborn and Fon for a moment, scanning them, and then moving on.

"We are extremely fine, Chrome!" shouted Ryohei, rushing to reassure her. His big brother instincts flaring up.

They should probably be more worried about their situation, thought Reborn, then again Tsuna was emitting her sky flames. Even showing her wings, though they were encased in flame, so they probably thought they were as safe as they were going to get. Reborn couldn't disagree with that thought, to be honest, being so close to the flames, as he was flooded with the feeling of _home_ (dammit, he wasn't even harmonised! If this was what he was like now, then if he ever became apart of the bambina's sky… Reborn didn't what to think about it, he'd be a mess). The bambina wouldn't let any harm come to any of them. Though, Tsuna did seem to struggling a little, observed Reborn. Was it because she was only showing her wings and only partially at that? He had thought that the hair, eyes and wings came as a package deal. Not able to have one without the other, sort of thing. He'd have to ask her after this thing has been sorted out.

"How are you going to deal with this, mini-trash?" Reborn looked away from his bambina to see Xanxus smirking at them. Reborn frowned minutely, that smirk didn't look high and mighty like the hitman had expected it to be but more challenging. It was a smirk he often wore when sparring with or training Tsunahime. Like he had set her an difficult task that was nearly impossible for an average person but wanted to see how she'd get past it. Xanxus's eyes also held curiosity hidden beneath the arrogant mask he wore. More importantly, the man's flames reflected his expression. Flames couldn't lie. To Reborn, it… it looked like Xanxus was _testing_ Tsunahime.

Tsunahime just attracted dangerous people, didn't she?

"Deal with this…?" she repeated, tilting her head to properly look at the wrath (he suppressed a shiver. Dammit! Tsuna got really, _really_ attractive then she acted like this! It wasn't fair that he was stuck in a baby's body). Reborn wondered if she picked up on the same thing as he had, "Something like this is easy to solve." She looked up and gazed calmly at another round of flying missiles heading towards her that the Mocsa had fired, "You attack the source." Tsuna stretched her wings to their full wingspan before giving one mighty flap, summoning a gust of wind and lifting her slightly off the ground before giving another flap and then another...

Reborn, who refused to be dislodged from her shoulder, stared with masked wonder as Tsuna _flew_ through the sky. Oh, he knew she could fly. The wings being a dead giveaway, but he had never actually seen her fly. It was probably made even better in his eyes because he was flying with her. He had seen her use her wings to manipulate the wind behind her and give her a boost of speed or catch the wind beneath her wings so she glided after a jump but never actually fly. Tsunahime looked like she belonged in the sky. Which made a lot of sense given she was a sky and a phoenix was, technically, a type of bird. He was definitely making Tsuna fly more often with him. The sense of freedom it gave him… It was like nothing could ever chain him down, even his curse took a backseat as he reveled in his amazement.

Tsuna's wings sliced through the missiles she couldn't reach as her fists, covered in sky flames, punched through the other ones, making them explode in the sky. She easily dodged the blast, the sky was her domain and she couldn't be matched it in, least of all by programed missiles. Getting rid of all the missiles in a single moment, Tsuna headed towards her next target, the thing that was the source, and struck.

Tsunahime personally thought it was a nice touch to take the machine's other arm, completing her cloud element's job. The wires sparked as she held the arm within her grip before letting it go. She said nothing as the machine fully focused on her and away from her family. She wasn't worried about Reborn, he was on her shoulder and she wouldn't let him get hurt if something came up that stopped him from defending himself. She dodged the multiple attacks that came from the machine but didn't strike back just yet.

This machine had a flame, she could sense it now that it was in this berserk-like state and she was so close to it, it felt vaguely familiar to her, like a long forgotten memory, "Something isn't right…" muttered Reborn in her ear, not needing to say anymore because she already knew. This whole setup was backwards and put her on edge.

Tsuna frowned, "Reborn, get ready." she warned. A flame could only come from a living being, and most of those had a humanoid-like shape, so she needed to stop the machine and take out whoever was inside, preferably safely. Easier said than done, she didn't want to hurt the person inside if she could avoid it. The hitman nodded his head in response, one arm tightening his hold on her neck and the other holding his fedora, shadowing his eyes. Leon moved closer to his human's hands, within easier reach.

After dodging even more bullets, she finally attacked. With a great flap of her wings, she fired out some of her feathers that were encased in her flames. They struck true and covered the machine's joints causing sparks to fly. The feathers, which were in a way made of flame, seemed to melt (she could destroy them at will, a natural defense any phoenix had, in case someone stole their feathers and attempted to use them) and the heat resulting this melded the joints together, making it so it was unable to move.

Quickly, now that the machine was confused, she ripped open the front, only for a old man to drop out of it. The wires that were attached to the man ripped, letting him go, "This is…" Reborn trailed off in shock but it didn't matter. She had recognised who this was.

"The ninth boss…" she finished, half in shock and half in disbelief.

* * *

 **And done!**

 **A wild ninth appears! Sorry, couldn't resist. Tsunahime shows off her phoenix side a little in this one. Even if Xanxus doesn't know what that is what it is. And Kyoya has been given a heart!**

 **Hope you've enjoyed it and thanks for the reviews!**


	27. Chapter 27

**So, I'm busy on Saturday and I didn't want to post this chapter on Sunday so it's coming out today.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter Twenty Seven

 _Quickly, now that the machine was confused, she ripped open the front, only for a old man to drop out of it. The wires that were attached to the man ripped, letting him go, "This is…" Reborn trailed off in shock but it didn't matter. She had recognised who this was._

 _"The ninth boss…" she finished, half in shock and half in disbelief._

* * *

When Tsuna accepted these 'ring battles' she didn't think something like _this_ would happen. She would like to think nobody did, well, apart from Xanxus. Seriously, all these were supposed to be was a whole bunch of fighting that would make her family happy. Oh, and also choose who was to be the next head. Nowhere did it mention that the current Head would be taken _hostage_ and shoved into a _machine_.

She supposed it made sense. The ninth did, originally, choose her as the heir but for some reason changed his mind and wanted Xanxus to be the heir instead. It explained the whole, 'my intuition sharpened with old age' rubbish. Xanxus clearly didn't have the intuition if he thought that would pass as something that actually _happened_. Which also suggested he wasn't of vongola blood because everyone from that line had it, regardless of strength, from what she had been able to gather from both Bat and Reborn. Still, that didn't really matter at this moment because the ninth was laying on the floor after having his flames used to power that machine. At least, she thought that was what happened. She wasn't entirely sure. Technology had never been her strong suit. She knew how to use them but not what made them work. That was more up Hayato's street.

She wondered how she should feel about all this as she called Ryohei over to make sure everything was alright. Xanxus was watching her intently, waiting for a reaction.

How did she feel about this anyway? This man was supposed to be family but he had willingly tried to _seal_ her at five years old. That was her only clear (and even then it was sort of blurry in places) memory of the man. He had left soon after the sealing. Tsuna was unconscious at that point though, her flames doing everything they could to keep _burning_. She shook her head, not wanting to think about her near death. Tsunahime had never heard from the man again regardless of the fact that he was suppose to be her 'grandpa'.

Tsuna frowned slightly, thinking about his neglectful behaviour, because it was, she realised. After the sealing, which was pretty much illegal (and if something was illegal in the mafia, you knew it was a bad thing to do. You needed Vindice to confirm it for it to be legal but they tended to prefer killing the skies or other elements over that anyway), he never called or visited to see if anything went wrong because of his actions. Then there was Xanxus. She didn't really know much about the leader of the Varia's personal life but she did know he was imprisoned within ice because he started a coup-d'etat. From what Bat could gather, when she got curious about the man after the first meeting, he was the fourth son of Timoteo but if he didn't have the intuition so he was probably adopted… Her own intuition was actually being helpful by nudging her into the right direction. Xanxus being adopted does make sense since Xanxus held none of Timoteo's features.

Tsuna wondered if Xanxus knew then or even knew now. She suspected he did, there was always painful anger burning behind those eyes. So, Xanxus might have thought that one day he would inherit the so called 'throne' of the mafia but eventually found out he wouldn't, or rather couldn't. Blood meant quite a lot in the mafia for some reason. Timoteo probably didn't sit Xanxus down quietly and tell him either or he wouldn't be this angry… Another time Timoteo was neglectful and screwed people over because of his actions or lack of actions in this case.

Still, with that much anger there must be something else. Tsunahime didn't have enough information to find out what it was though.

When she compiled all this information, Tsuna couldn't say she liked the Head of the Vongola very much. No, she didn't like him at all. Once they got pass all these battles (they still had one remaining after all and Tsuna did say she'd participe), she'd have to talk to Timoteo about his behaviour. Tsuna hoped the man merely didn't know what he was doing (even if that was still bad) because she wouldn't stand for someone who was knowingly neglectful.

Even though Tsuna didn't like the man, that didn't mean she'll let him die. Timoteo wasn't injured but he was very low on flames, which was dangerous for anyone, so she allowed Ryohei to continue healing with Reborn jumping back on her shoulder after inspecting the man himself.

The phoenix turned to Xanxus, who was standing still with a smirk. Even with the confident, taunting smirk, all Tsuna could see were the waiting eyes (waiting, always waiting, as if waiting for someone to finally see who he was, not what he pretended to be, people _always_ disappointed him),"I thought cloud guardians are suppose to have, well, cloud flames…" was the sentence that came out of her mouth. Her voice was in the most deadpan tone she could must, given Reborn's snort of amusement she was pretty successful. Really, she had no idea what to do in this situation.

She supposed she should have asked a question but what really was there to question? From what Tsuna knew the ninth sealed him away for eight years (still conscience, caged in ice, his flames there but _not_ , eight years away from his bonded...), she knew that if she was put in that position she'd want pay back too. Tsuna, absentmindedly, registered Dino's men leave the area. They were probably going to notify their boss of the situation. Tsuna was glad that she lowered the charms for the time being, it would probably make this situation easier.

Xanxus' smirk wavered for a split second in surprise, not able to accuse her of killing the ninth when she went out of her way to see what was inside the Mocsa safely. Not that he was going to do that anymore. No, he was testing her now instead, "Aren't you surprised, mini-trash?"

The sky raised an eyebrow at him, "Surprised by the man being in the machine; yes I am. Surprised at what you did to the ninth…" she shrugged, the Greatest Hitman on her shoulder looking vaguely amused, glancing the ninth way in… was that satisfaction? "Not so much." The girl, who was so much more mature than any girl her age had a right to be looked at him closely before nodding to herself in understanding, "Oh, you expect me to feel angry or upset for the ninth." She paused, looking at him and shook her head as if he had somehow responded to her, "Then let me say again; that man, along with my own father, tried to seal my flames away when I was a defenseless child. Something that would have killed me if it was successful. I hold no love for the current Head of the Vongola Family."

"Yet you are healing him." Xanxus protested, looking at the sky's sun, his hands alight with flames as he scanned the unconscious old man. He couldn't really think about the fact that someone, other than his elements, saw the old man for what he was; selfish. No, perhaps she thought that Timoteo did what he did because he, somehow, thought it was good idea or maybe that the old man was protecting her. Timoteo probably did think it was a good idea, but not because it would benefit her in any way, no, Timoteo did what he did to benefit himself. Still, the fact that the mini-trash would openly state that the ninth had flaws, had made decisions, that she couldn't stand besides him after knowing… well, it meant a lot. To him and for her. Xanxus was right in thinking that the mini-trash wasn't too bad. She had potential, it was probably why the World's Greatest Hitman seemed so… well, Xanxus wanted to say attached but that couldn't be right.

The World's Greatest Hitman never got attached to people.

Tsunahime nodded, "Yes, I am. While I don't particularly like the current head, I know that him dying right now would mean chaos for the mafia, without an heir chosen to take over the Family. It would disrupt the balance of power in the mafia and those things also end in a bloodbath." If the 'strongest' family were to die out and every single Family would compete for the spot, killing each other to get to the top.

"I'm extremely done, Tsuna!" exclaimed Ryohei, sounding quite happy with himself. Tsuna looked down, knowing that Reborn was keeping an eye on Xanxus for her, to see the ninth healed. Well, he was partly healed, she supposed. He still had wounds, burn marks from where the wires had attached themselves and most likely had other injuries she couldn't see, but his life wasn't in danger anymore. Raising an eyebrow in question, she looked at Ryohei. He grinned, it held a slight darkness around the edge, vicious satisfaction showing, "I'm still extremely young and so don't know how to properly heal people. I'm extremely sorry, Tsuna." Ryohei even held sadness in his voice. She heard Mukuro laugh gleefully in the background with Takeshi joining in.

…

That was a complete and utter _lie_.

Tsuna sighed, it seemed her elements didn't forget about the whole sealing, and therefore threatening her life, thing. Not that she expected them to really. She wouldn't have, if she was in their position. Still, she didn't particularly mind, Timoteo was healed enough to survive. He'd just needed some time in the hospital to recover now. Tsuna nodded to Ryohei, "Thank you for trying your best then, Ryohei." she commented, her tone making it clear she knew he was lying to her. Ryohei just grinned at her, looking so proud. Tsuna shook her head in fond amusement.

Tsunahime ignored Reborn smirking in approval to Ryohei as she addressed Xanxus, "I understand that you also don't like the ninth," and probably want him dead, she added mentally, knowing that with the cervello there, she couldn't really say that. She knew it was heard silently anyway, "but he does need to go to a hospital as soon as possible." Xanxus nodded, he was clever enough to know he couldn't really refuse that with the cervello watching his every move. "Still, despite how this battle had ended I would like to continue with the final match."

"You have won the majority, Tsunahime-sama. There is no need for you to do so." the cervello spoke up once more after a long time being silent. Tsuna stared at the Cervello, noticing that for the first time they had addressed her as respectfully as they did with Xanxus. It seemed the cervello were fans of the Ninth and her act of 'kindness' had won them over slightly. Or they didn't like Iemitsu (who was the one to appoint her as a candidate). It could be both, really.

The phoenix nodded, calmly, "I understand that, however, I have my pride and to win without even fighting, while all my elements have, leaves a foul taste in my mouth. To make it more beneficial for the Varia, I propose that this next match decises who is to be the heir." Xanxus frowned, from where he was stood that sounded like she was being very generous without having any rewards for her. He didn't like being mistaken for a charity case. Seeing his frown, Tsuna continued, "Ah, don't get me wrong, Xanxus. I'm not only doing this for you. If I haven't fought for the ring battles the Vongola Family will not believe I am strong enough to lead them." Tsuna paused before giving a smirk that held a playful edge, "Besides, I did say I was looking forward to fighting you."

"And your shitty elements, the ones who risked their lives for those rings?" he questioned, no real bite in his voice despite his language. The mini-trash really was alright and she wasn't a coward either, he could appreciate the eagerness to fight. He didn't mind the girl at all.

She laughed, "They did not risk their lives for the rings but because they wanted to fight against decent opponents. Of which all your elements were, barring the so called cloud guardian." While Hayato did want to win a ring, he also wanted to test himself against someone new and Chrome wanted to fight against an unknown opponent for her training. Her elements grinned or smirked in agreement.

"Very well," the cervello took over, "The winner of this next battle will become the next Vongola boss and so we declare this the sky ring battle."

* * *

After the cervello hashed out the details for tomorrow, which was pretty much meet at the same place at the same time, Dino arrived and took the ninth off their hands. Tsuna was thankful for that because she couldn't guarantee his safety within the _tender care_ of her elements. She'd probably leave the charms lowered for tomorrow night too. It wouldn't do to get the mafia suspicious of the 'technology' they used if they couldn't enter the arena.

Humming quietly, Tsuna continued to think about the details for tomorrow's fight, the strategies she could use against her opponent and what attacks would be effective, as she walked down the hallway of the Hibari mansion. Iemitsu had apparently left her house a while back but she didn't want to risk him coming back with her still there so she, after asking Kyoya one more time for confirmation, ended up staying. The wolf didn't really mind, as she had done it in the past and the place was big enough to make sure he didn't feel crowded.

She blinked and confirmed that, yes, she did see the Strongest Storm out in the garden and called out a soft greeting, aware of how late it was. Once she was in front of him, feeling the cool night breeze, she smiled and gained one in return, "My apologies, Fon, I know it's late but I wanted to know a few things and hoped you could enlighten me if possible." For once, Reborn was not with her, not on her shoulder (she felt strange without his usual weight on her shoulder, it was like she was missing a part of herself) as he was in their room.

Fon stilled (a calm before the storm came to mind) for a moment giving her a searching look. Whatever he saw relaxed the not-baby (the storm passing by harmlessly with merely a breeze to show for it) and his smile became more welcoming, "I will try." he said in response, jumping to sit on the nearby bench. Tsuna nodded, seeing the reply for what it was (if there was something he did not want to answer than he wouldn't) and accepting that, following the small marital artist by sitting down next to him, "What do you want to ask?"

"Firstly, I wondered if you were going to stay now that Kyoya had his fight."

"I'm going to stay and watch the sky battle." he answered, he wanted to see how well Tsuna fought, Kyoya had high standards and approved of her so it was bound to be interesting, "Do you think it was wise, denying your win? You could lose the upcoming fight."

"I could." Tsuna nodded, there was always a chance of losing in any fight, no matter how powerful you were, "However, I felt like this was the correct course of action."

"How so?"

"Xanxus… he… There is something I do not understand just yet. His anger consumes him but it is too strong to merely be from Timoteo alone. I felt that if I fought him I could maybe understand why he felt like that. I cannot explain it exactly. It is merely a feeling I have."

Fon, though, nodded like he understood, "It is said that a lot can be transferred between two opponents when they fight. Do not let this curiosity control you, however." he warned, feeling a need to make sure she was prepared for the fight ahead, "Hesitation is deadly in a fight."

Tsuna smiled, softly, "My thanks for your concern, Fon. I will take your words to heart." Fon was quite wise and whatever he said, he wouldn't have done so without a reason. She quite liked going to him for advice. The martial artist was easy to talk too, always holding back his judgement till he fully understood the situation. Tsuna supposed she could have gone to Reborn and gotten the same advice, just said differently and with more bullets, but Fon had this aura that reminded of her of wise, old beings, that had far of knowledge than she had. It made her want to ask him things, to see what he would tell her.

Fon smiled back, wider this time and warmer than Tsuna had ever seen it, his decision made, "You can't have come here with only one question."

"I haven't."

When Tsuna paused, Fon nodded reassuringly, his smile softer, "Go on then. What is your question?"

Tsuna frowned softly but asked her question, regardless of her worry, "What was the real reason you came here?" At Fon's silence, she felt the need to continue, "I know you genuinely wanted to see both I-Pin and Kyoya but that wasn't the only reason you have. You would have returned earlier or more frequently if that was the case."

"That is true." stated Fon softly after a moment, "The Head of my Clan bid me here."

Tsuna looked at Fon, quickly, shock in her every motion, "But I thought he…" she winced and trailed off before starting again quickly, "My apologies, I didn't mean to-"

Fon chuckled quietly, cutting her off, it was a bitter sound that echoed around the empty garden, "He did indeed banish me but being the head of my clan grants him certain… leeway, let's say."

Tsuna scowled, she had yet to hear anything decent about that man. He was as arrogant as they came. She felt sorry for Fon having to have him as the head of his clan, even if the Strongest Storm wasn't technically apart of the Clan anymore, she knew the storm still liked to think he was, having grown up around those people, "Even so, that shouldn't allow him to command you if you did not wish it." she argued.

Fon nodded, "I did not only come for his request but for my own curiosity."

The phoenix blinked in mild confusion, "Your curiosity?" she tilted her head.

"You are my nephew's sky. Strong enough to hold him and let him drift freely. He even follows your orders with little to no fuss." Here, Fon paused, his lips thinning as if struggling with himself before continuing in but a whisper of a voice, "I wanted to see if a sky like that would have enough room for me."

Tsuna felt shock before allowing her eyes to soften, Fon, despite his age, sounded so, _so_ vulnerable, like he was almost afraid of her reaction. All those years in the mafia and the triads as one of the Strongest must have torn at his flames (she imagined that it was like that for all of the Strongest. All those skies wanting to see if they could hold them. She knew that her approach to bonding was pretty much unheard of in the mafia and the triads now. Most skies, from what she gathered, took who and what they wanted either by force or manipulation. They wouldn't wait for the element to decide. They would decide for them, behind their wall of other elements). The pain alone must of been unbearable. Torn flames weren't permanent, they actually were quite easy to fix depending on your viewpoint. A sky, usually the element's sky, could fix them up easily. This, however, required trust and those who flames had been torn were usually like that because they had been betrayed by those they trusted (their own flames tearing themselves apart between standing with whom they had trusted or the desire to recoil completely from the betrayer's side), it was usually committed between a sky and their elements. Either an element betrayed the sky or the sky betrayed the element. The other common reason for torn flames was that their soul flames were pulled on so often that they tore themselves apart from the assault. Which was, again, caused by skies trying to pull them in and hold them. How Fon hid the state of his soul flame, she didn't know, she imagined that the pacifier might've played a part in that. It could shield and hide their flames pretty well, as it was constantly sucking on them, so they didn't have as many flames as they would do normally.

Tsuna didn't know which reason was the cause of the state of Fon's flames either, heck, it could be a mixture of both for all she knew. The only reason Reborn's flames weren't torn was because his flames imitated his stubbornness and Reborn learned not to trust earlier on and instinctively shielded his own flames. In the end, Tsuna supposed it didn't really matter. After all she could heal those flames. She lit her hands aflame with her sky, letting the fire burn merrily in her hands but not drawing any closer, "I will always have room in my sky for your storm." she answered, and she did. She had felt the pull of her flames the first day she had met him.

Fon stared at the flame, transfixed. Slowly, so very slowly, he lifted his own hand (so small, too small) and lit his flame within his hand with some effort. Tsuna still didn't move and her eyes had yet to say anything but acceptance so, with hesitance he tried not to show (because he _wanted_ this, he knew he did, but the habit of pulling away from skies was difficult to break), he raised his hand close enough to Tsuna's own.

Their flames mixed and Fon breathed out, for what felt like the time in centuries, as he felt his flames mend (those torn, scarred flames healing over as sky flames covered the holes left in them so his own flame could flow more freely) and a bond _snapped_ into place.

* * *

 **So quite a lot happened in this chapter.**

 **Tsuna decides she doesn't really like the ninth, noticing his neglectful behaviour, with Xanxus approving of her decision and Ryohei is good at passive-aggressive healing!**

 **Tsuna has Fon as an element now! Did anyone see that coming? Fon, as I've hinted at, is part of the supernatural community and so he trusts his flame and is more instinctive with it so it isn't too fast paced all things considered. Well it is, but not for someone who is supernatural as it's usually an instant connection due to their flames as shown with Lambo, whom Tsuna bonded with straight away. Hayato was supernatural and, despite not knowing Tsunahime for long, bonded with her on the same day as meeting her. Fon is a lot older than Hayato and with his flames condition he'd want to consider it for longer as I've shown him doing very subtly. And I mean subtly, like a few words here and there subtle.**

 **I wonder how Reborn will react, hm?**

 **Anyway thanks for reading, I hope you've enjoyed it and leave a review on your way out! See you next week. :)**


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter Twenty Eight

Tsunahime hummed happily to herself as she crept out of Fon's room, having carried him there from the garden when he had eventually fell to sleep, lulled by their new bond. She had a new family member! Oh, she was delighted! She'd have to officially introduce him to everyone. Tsuna was sure everyone would like him. Takeshi had already taken a liking to the small storm, perhaps _too_ much of a liking (really, it was like they were brothers or something). Tsunahime reminded herself to reassure Hayato that she wasn't replacing him (she would never, _ever_ replace him but Hayato still needed reassurance sometimes). Out of all her bonded, he was the most self-conscious about his position as an element within her sky. Even Chrome had more self-confidence than the half-dog did when it came to that area. Kyoya did have a strange relationship with Fon, calling him 'annoying carnivore', despite actually being related. Still, after observing how they reacted to each other, she was pretty sure Kyoya cared about Fon in his own way but his own pride got in the way most of the time when it came to showing it.

She was sure Reborn would also enjoy Fon's presence. They were comrades of a sort and they seemed to be on good terms. It was difficult to judge but he seemed to like Fon better than he did Colonello. Fon might even have a calming effect on Reborn. Tsuna chuckled to herself, that was unlikely, especially considering she had a feeling that Fon also had a sadistic side to him, it was just well hidden beneath his polite nature. Reborn would probably draw that out rather than Fon calming him down.

That was perfectly fine with Tsuna. She liked it when her family was lively.

Tsuna carefully opened the door to her and Reborn's room, it was very late and she felt a little guilty about being so long and not letting Reborn know beforehand. Though, it wasn't possible to do so. She had only thought her conversation with Fon would take about half an hour at the most but then the bonding happened. It wasn't something that allowed her to run off straight away. She needed to make sure the bond was strong and secure and that her bonded was alright. Tsuna wouldn't risk sabotaging that.

"Bambina." Reborn greeted.

Tsuna stilled, she thought she was being quiet but it seemed pretty worthless given that Reborn was still awake and had noticed her. Tsunahime smiled, "You didn't need to stay up, Reborn. I didn't think I'd be so late coming back, my apologies."

"It's fine." Tsuna frowned at that, walking up to her bed and sitting on it. His words sounded clipped and... almost upset? There was a near invisible tremor in his voice that betrayed his mood. Whatever had happened must have been big to cause such a reaction. A reaction that Reborn couldn't completely hide. Her frown deepened when Reborn did not turn around to face her. Using her flames, Tsuna attempted to comfort the hitman but froze when Reborn _flinched_ at them. It was a small thing, barely visible, but Tsuna considered herself an expert in reading Reborn given all the time they spent with each other.

Now deeply worried to the point of almost panic, Tsuna asked, "R-reborn? Are you okay?" she couldn't stop the hesitation in her voice. This had never happened before! Reborn had never, ever flinched at her flames. Tensed, maybe, but never physically recoiled away.

"It's fine." he repeated but now his voice held a more visible tremor. Reborn still wouldn't look at her!

"No, it is not!" she hissed, using anger to replace her worry (and the pain of being recoiled from. She was her flames in a way. And Reborn had _flinched_ away from them, from her. Reborn should never feel the need to do anything but relax when her flames were near. What had happened?!) before shaking her head at her actions. It was unlike her to be so quick to anger but she had never been so worried before, not even by her mother, because something was wrong. Reborn, too, was startled by her reaction, turning his head to look in her direction before stopping himself at the last second. Softening her voice and pushing away her anger, she started again, "Please," she pleaded, not caring about her pride, this was more important, "Something is wrong, something is upsetting you and I… I cannot stand that."

Reborn didn't repeat his words again but he stayed silent. Tsuna didn't dare to try and comfort him with her flames again, scared of the reaction she might get. Biting her lip in her worry, she filled the silence with her frantic analysis of what could be bothering one of her Own, "Something is upsetting you and you were fine when we came back. So something happened within the time I was gone to talk to Fon-" at Fon's name, Reborn stiffened minutely, stopping anything else she was going to say.

Tsuna breathed out, her mind clicking together all his responses he had to her, suddenly understanding, her intuition helping her look in the right direction, "Oh," she voiced in her realisation, "Oh, Reborn." she called, softly, "No, I would never, _never_ , replace you like that. You are still mine but Fon is one of mine as well now."

"One of yours?" Reborn's voice held more strength than before, thankfully, but it was still too weak to suit Reborn's usual confident nature. There was something else in his voice, a mixture of hope and disbelief that tried to hide behind the slightly mocking tone the hitman had taken.

"Of course," Tsunahime replied instantly, "You are one of mine."

"I am not." Tsuna heard the painful ache in his voice that Reborn had desperately tried to hide. Reborn was too emotional at the moment and couldn't cover himself properly like he normally could do.

"Not at the moment." she agreed partially.

"You have Fon." he shot back, "You do not need me anymore." And that was the truth in his eyes. Everything he had, Fon had as well. The title of the Strongest was something both he and Fon had. They both had the same type of reputation. Fon, an enforcer for the Triads and him, a hitman in the mafia. Fon was calmer, more suited to Tsuna's own calm personality where as Reborn craved chaos.

Fon was better than he was. He was more suited to the comforting warmth of the bambina's sky.

"And how do you know that?" he heard Tsuna ask sharply, "I have Fon, but I've had you first." Reborn felt his breath catch in his throat, like it did everytime she had said something along those lines, "I won't replace you for him regardless of how shallow you think I am."

"Shallow?" he echoed, eyes wide, finally turning to look at her. He almost regretted it because he felt his chest ache in pain.

"Well, isn't that what you think?" His bambina's voice was defensive and… was that pain? No! No, that wasn't what he wanted! He didn't want his bambina in pain. He only wanted to let her know that she didn't need to have him now that she had Fon. She didn't need to always comfort him or cocoon him with her flames or be so goddamn nice! Tsuna didn't need to do that anymore.

"No!" he was surprised about how venomously he denied that, "You are not shallow!" All she did was give to others. She hardly ever got angry on her own behalf, her elements and himself needing to do that for her, on her behalf. For her family, however… Well, Tsuna was like a wrathful goddess. Reborn tried not like think about that side of Tsuna too much because it had a certain allure about it. The amount of images, fantasties, that was spawned in his head from seeing that side...

"Yet you would think that I would..." Tsuna paused, choked up from even thinking about it, "That I would replace my family members whenever someone new came around?"

"Of course not!"

"Then why would you think I would even consider to do the same with you!?" she demanded, her voice wet with tears and Reborn, against his better judgement, found himself looking into her eyes. The same eyes he had avoided even glancing at when she had walked into their room. They were shining with tears she refused to let fall, her eyebrows furrowed as if in pain, it seemed that at some point she shifted into her half-phoenix form because they were golden-amber in colour. The colour seemed dull in her sadness, with her wings pressed firmly against her back for some sort of comfort, "You are my Own, Reborn." she repeated, her voice rung with honesty but it trembled as she fought to keep going, "It may not be official yet, but that is what you are to me. That you would even suggest that I…" Tsuna trailed off, unable to continue.

Reborn stared, understanding what his words could have meant to her, "I didn't mean…" he stopped when Tsuna flinched, almost curling in on herself and took a breath, didn't he wasn't good at this type of thing! Heart to heart talks were not something he had needed to be do before, he just usually shot at the problem but that wasn't something he could do to the bambina, "You can do better than me." he finished.

"Better than the World's Greatest Hitman?" she asked, a shiver of humour in her voice, lips curling up into a sad sort of smile, understanding that his words weren't thought like she had intepreted but still sad that Reborn that thought himself almost… unworthy of her sky. Like she actually thought that someone could be unworthy or worthy depending on a quality or trait in order for them in take a place within her sky.

Reborn shook his head, "I have blood drenching my hands." He was dark, a bloodied shadow, compared to the bright pure light of Tsunahime's sky. At least, when it came to Luce, she was a mafia boss already and despite her smiles (that he later learnt were false, something he didn't even think could be a possibility til after the curse, so blinded was he by the prospect of finally finding a _home_ , a place that could hold him. It was the same for all of them there, he knew) she had ordered people's deaths whether by her own choice or by obligation. Tsuna didn't like killing, he knew that, despite the fact that she knew that sometimes it was the only choice. Reborn didn't enjoy killing either but there were times that he had enjoyed it. When the person lying bloodied and still on the floor were someone that had wronged him or someone he knew and cared enough about to claim as his. He knew with certainty that if he could, he'd show Timoteo just how wrong he was to seal his bambina and Reborn would enjoy it, feel satisfaction from doing it.

Tsuna nodded, "I have killed as well, Reborn." Reborn paused at that before remembering what she said on their first meeting, it was difficult to believe that someone so bright had made the life disappear from someone's eyes. Not that Reborn cared about that though, that man was an assassin sent to kill both Nana and Tsuna. He would have killed the bastard as well. In that sort of job everyone knows if you go out to kill someone then you have a chance to be killed in return. A tooth for a tooth. People feared Reborn too much to demand retribution though, everyone knew that would just get you killed in a remarkably brutal way instead.

"Not like me."

"Do you think I care about something like that?" Tsuna asked, her hands reaching to hold his own tiny ones, staring into his eyes as if willing him to see her sincerity, "I have actual demons as my elements." Still, Reborn shook his head, stubbornly, looking away. Tsuna pressed her lips together in faint irritation, "Look at me?" she asked and Reborn instantly compiled without even fully registering the move, "I do not want anyone else. I want Reborn. You might have heard of him, he usually wears an infuriating, mocking, arrogant smirk. He's a sadistic piece of work but he does these small things that shows he cares about people, even if he doesn't like to admit it."

Reborn let out a breath. His bambina wanted him. She truly wanted him, not because he was strong or because he was the World's Greatest Hitman but because he was himself. A troll with a sadistic sense of humor. He couldn't really understand that. No one had ever wanted him because he was himself. They always wanted something from him. Even Luce. Reborn had only met her, had only gotten a chance to bond with her, because he was one of the Strongest.

He knew Tsunahime though. She was a true sky and hadn't he already said that? Even though Reborn knew that, it was difficult to think that Tsunahime would treat him the same way as her other elements because he was Reborn. He had never gotten something only good. It had always came with a bad side. Being one of the Strongest meant he couldn't have normal relationship again because they might be targeted to get to him. Being a hitman, being strong and feared, only came around once his arsehole of a father left him on the streets to fend for himself when he was young. Even Leon, his precious, faithful, beloved partner, had only come to him after he had been cursed, as a side effect from it. No, Reborn had never had something that was purely good. And being with Tsuna, belonging in her sky? Reborn couldn't think of anything bad to go with it.

It was almost scary because that was an unknown to him.

Oh, Reborn said he'd be selfish about his love (because was what it was. Nothing else could hurt one moment but comfort him the next other than that) to the bambina but he had never really thought about what would happen if Tsuna felt the same way. His bambina wanted him, despite the fact that he had caused her pain with his words, and that had to mean something, right? It meant that Tsuna at least deeply cared about him, and Reborn? He could work with that. Oh, he could do so much more than _work_ with that.

Reborn smirked, trying to regaining his composure and relaxing as Tsuna hesitantly (what had he done? She shouldn't need to hesitant! He needed to fix this. He needed to reassure her!) drew him closer to her, her wings curling towards him, "Oh?" he probed, wondering what else she'd say.

Tsuna smiled, reaching for him with her flames and almost laughed with delight when Reborn merely sunk deeper into them, "Yeah, he's the World's Greatest Hitman but for some reason he decided he wanted to tutor others instead. If he's not careful, people will discover he has a heart." Reborn chuckled lightly at that, his heart lightening even more as he relaxed completely, "Reborn?"

"Hm?" he asked, closing his eyes, so very comfortable at the moment. He wouldn't mind staying in this position forever. He was exhausted and completely emotionally drained. Reborn was never fighting with Tsuna again if he could help it, he felt like he could sleep for a decade.

"You know I will always have a place for you in my sky, right?" And just like that, Reborn was wide awake again. He stared, wide-eyed at the phoenix. She smiled gently, "I assumed, before, that you knew that so I was waiting for you to come to me when you were ready. However, it seems you're more oblivious than your title would suggest," Reborn was too in shock in even smack her around the head like usual when she teased him, "So I'd thought I'd tell you as clearly as I can."

"You…" Reborn swallowed, trying to keep his want and excitement out of his voice, "You want to bond with me? Now?"

Tsuna smiled, "Of course, you are one of my Own. It was going to happen sooner or later." You'd think that they didn't just have a whole conversation/argument about this subject but she figured Reborn was too emotionally drained to properly process the information right now. Tsuna wanted to sleep too but this was important.

Reborn was still staring at her. All he could think about was when he got bored waiting for Tsuna and had searched for her only to find her with Fon, their flames mixing, bonding together. He remembered the absolute _crushing_ feeling that Tsuna wouldn't want him now she had Fon (but she did! She wanted him!) as he gazed at their intertwined flames. He remembered the burning jealous that bordered on hatred when he viewed Fon as someone who had taken _his_ Bambina away from him. The feeling was replaced quickly with self-loathing and regret. He had time, time to tell her, time to ask her to be his sky but he _hadn't_. He hadn't because he had _hesitated_. The World's Greatest Hitman hesitated. Well, that was unacceptable and shouldn't had even been a thing in the first place, he'd have to make that it won't happen again.

Reborn wasn't ready to tell her about his feelings, (uncertain about how she would react once she found out, he didn't want to change anything about their relationship just yet, not when he had almost ruined it by jumping to conclusions. Hesitating and being hasty were two different things after all and there was only so much that even he could process in a day) but for her to be his sky? Oh, he wanted that so much.

As if sensing his ancipation, his want, Tsuna smiled. It was a bright thing, brighter than he had ever seen her, before she lit her hand aflame, just like she had done with Fon (she didn't need to do it this way, the flames didn't need to be visible to bond with another but for Fon and Reborn, who were _so tired_ and _hurt_ , she felt that they needed to see the visible proof). Reborn stared at the flame like it was his first time seeing it before carefully doing the same. His yellow sun flame was smaller than Tsuna's, the pacifier making it harder to use his flames as time went on under the curse. Reborn wasted no time to bring his hand closer to Tsuna's however, unlike Fon, and watched with fascination as his flame wrapped around her's. He allowed his iron control over them to fall away and instantly his flame harmonised with Tsuna's. It happened so quickly that Reborn was shocked, he knew his flames yearned to be with Tsunahime's but he didn't think it would happen so fast, so quickly.

Reborn couldn't think on it anymore than that because the bond snapped into place. It shook him to his very core. Reborn inhaled in awe, just feeling. There was warmth encasing his soul. It warmed him to his very bones. The feeling of _home_ , of safety and acceptance, was more shocking than he thought it'd be (he never did fully harmonise with Luce, only partially). Every part of him just relaxed and Reborn wondered how he could have gone so long without _this_. When he thought back to the time without the bond (which were mere seconds ago), Reborn wondered why he never realised just how _cold_ he was before. There was a part of Tsuna's flames carefully encased in his own and Reborn turned his flames to wrap around the sky flame. In response, even more warmth filled him and he shivered at the feeling. It almost lulled him to sleep but at the same time he was so focused on the feeling that sleep was the furthest thing from his mind.

He could feel others too, Reborn realised, when he went deeper into the bond, exploring the new sense of harmony. Tsuna was watching him with soft eyes, arms still wrapped around him. It was the other elements, he instinctively knew. Their flames greeted his own, wrapping around his own. He got the vague sense that they were happy to see him. Fon's flame was there too, but his didn't move like the others. It was slower, as if constantly basking in Tsuna's sky. Reborn didn't doubt that his own flame looked the same (not that he could actually see the flames, in the physical sense, but he could feel them so strongly that he could picture them within his mind's eye). Every so often one of the others' flames would move to wrap around the storm's flames, reassuring him.

"I didn't know you could feel the other elements when bonded with their sky." he whispered, still feeling the affects of the harmonisation. He could feel the other elements clearer than before. It was like he instinctively knew where they were. He could feel Fon and Lambo down the hall with Hibari further down. He could feel the others spread all over the town, despite the fact that usually the distance should stop that from happening unless he consciously tried.

Tsuna chuckled softly, bringing him even closer in her embrace, "I'm a phoenix, remember? We have stronger flames so we have stronger bonds too. You are connected to them through me and they are connected to you through me as well. You are ours and we are yours." Reborn didn't really know what to say to that so he stayed silent, instead he wrapped his flames around the others briefly in greeting.

Tsunahime smiled happily at that, "And now you are officially one of my Own, Reborn." she sounded happy, ecstatic, really. Reborn echoed the feeling silently, smiling. He never wanted to give this up. He understood why the other elements were so overprotective and possessive of Tsuna now.

If anyone threatened this bond, threatened Tsuna, he didn't think he'd be able to hold himself back.

* * *

 **And cut!**

 **So, how was it?**

 **Poor Reborn, I've made him so sad and jaded in my version. To be fair, I did that with Fon too. I really do feel sorry for the Acrobaleno. Sure, they're all murderers on some level (apart from Skull, at least in the beginning anyway, because he has probably killed some people since joining the mafia) but they didn't deserve to be cursed. Not only were they forced into a child's body but they have outlived anyone they knew. If they had lovers, partners, family, they'd have to move on without them. Watching everyone they love grow old without them, and eventually, die. It's gotta be hard and I can't imagine that it wouldn't have an affect on people and how they view themselves, e.g their self-worth, even if they are overconfident bastards like Reborn. In canon, Reborn accepted his fate and was resigned to the curse, trying to make the most out of a bad situation, but that wouldn't have stopped how he felt about it. In my fanfic, Reborn has accepted his fate, on some level, but that doesn't mean he's not angry about it or doesn't want it to change. This is the same with all the Arcobaleno.**

 **Anyway, I hope Reborn's reaction wasn't too OOC. My Reborn can't really get angry at Tsunahime for bonding with Fon because he doesn't think himself completely worthy of her sky (and is hopeless in love with her. When Reborn falls, he falls _hard_ , I mean, the amount of pining in this chapter...) so instead he got angry at himself and at Fon, on some level.**

 **Some people have asked me what sort of relationship Reborn and Fon with have now that they've bonded with the same sky. They'll be friends, they won't be at each other's throats and will work well together. As I've mentioned in some other scenes, Reborn and Fon have a lot of respect for each other, even if they don't show it very well, as they have similar roles in the mafia and triads. They were also partners when the Arcobaleno (being the Strongest and second Strongest out of them all) worked together as a team so they know how to deal with each other. Anyway, I'll show hints of this throughout the fanfic and make it clear, so don't worry.**


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter Twenty Nine

Tsuna and Reborn slept in the following morning, both too tired to get up on time. Reborn didn't care, the bond was still new and he was still feeling the effects. It was like he was on drugs, he was probably flame drunk, he thought distantly, relaxing on Tsuna's shoulder, Leon was dozing lightly on his fedora. He didn't really care about anything so long as he was close to Tsuna, the fuzzy warmth encircling his soul. He didn't even care when Fon, who was probably feeling the same thing as him, walked up and jumped onto Tsunahime's other shoulder, greeting her with a small, ecstatic smile. Fon's monkey chittered happily on the storm's head, grabbing an apple to eat.

They were currently having breakfast, Hibari nodding to both Fon and Reborn in, what they assumed, was a welcoming gesture. Well, Tsuna smiled happily at the boy (who promptly looked away in embarrassment with an annoyed growl, Fon was having a field day with all the blackmail he was getting, he had already brought Reborn's picture of Kyoya showing Lambo how to fight. It was adorable and he shared it with Kyoya's mother as soon as he got it) so they were taking their cues from her. The wolf didn't even seem completely hostile to Fon anymore either, oh, he growled at him but his stance was more relaxed than before, which Fon was pleased about. Even Lambo seemed to know that the two were bonded with Tsuna now, his instinctual knowledge of flames coming into play, because he rushed up to them and hugged them tightly. Well, Fon allowed him to but Reborn stubbornly stuck to Tsuna's shoulder and scowled at the boy (and if his scowl didn't hold as much annoyance as it did before, well, no one needed to point it out).

"Kufufufu… It seems like we have some new family members, my dear Chrome." sounded Mukuro as he faded into view. Chrome following soon after, nodding her head. She smiled brightly at the two not-babies who couldn't help but smile helplessly back. Chrome had that effect on people. There was a faint knock at the door before a servant was seen leading the other family members into the dining room.

"Haha, it's about time Reborn bonded with Tsuna!" was the first thing Takeshi said. Reborn scowled at him as Fon's smile widened with amusement, eyes shining with mirth. Fon did seem more relaxed, he noted. Fon was always watching behind his smiles (whether they were fake or genuine), waiting for a threat to attack, as was in his storm nature. But now, while he was still watching, Fon seemed stop watching them specifically, trusting that they weren't a threat to him. It wasn't obvious, Reborn could only see it because he was used to watching people's facial expressions (in order to properly read someone whether for a hit or to annoy them and create some beautiful chaos, heck, sometimes he created some chaos before he killed his target) and he had known Fon for awhile.

Ryohei walked in the room and stared at Reborn, assessing. His eyes were surprising serious for the boy's personality. Reborn refused to back down and stared right back at the other sun. The moment, while short in reality, seemed longer for both of them til Ryohei grinned, approving at whatever he was looking for and had seen, "It's always extreme when we get new family members!" exclaimed Ryohei as Takeshi smiled at Fon. The two seeming to communicate through their smiles. Every so often Fon's smile would widen as if in agreement with something and Takeshi would laugh. Reborn was ignoring how weird that was, it sort of freaked him out. Which was just wrong, because he was the one who was supposed to freak people out. Hayato stared at Fon for a moment, wanting to scowl at him, but Tsuna willed her flames to reassure him and he settled for a hesitant half smile instead. Fon caught the look and nodded in the younger storm's direction, a friendly, non-threatening smile tinting his lips. The half-dog relaxed slightly at that and turned to talk to their sky (Reborn couldn't see that getting old anytime soon. He had a sky, an actual sky!). Hayato relaxed even more when Tsuna welcomed him like usual.

Hibari growled, reminding everyone that they were both _crowding_ and being _loud_ in his presence and that they had gotten their morning greetings out of the way so they didn't have an excuse to do so. Everyone promptly finished their breakfast (even Reborn knew that they shouldn't push a cloud too much when they were in their territory), and went into other rooms, giving the carnivorous boy some space. It wasn't really needed when Fon smiled for too long in Hibari's direction, at least according to the wolf, because he brought out his tonfa and attacked the storm. Mukuro laughed and brought out his own trident, joining in, leading to a battle royale.

At least they spent the time to lead themselves out to the garden before they properly got into it.

Reborn cackled in an evil manner as he gleefully watched the three go at each other, wanting to see who would spill blood first.

Tsuna sighed with an indulgent smile, watching the chaos unfold around her, eyes glinting with happiness.

* * *

It was dark when the elements and their sky finally left the premises of the Hibari mansion. Reborn had given Tsuna a so called 'mafia battle suit'. It looked the same as her school uniform, which she was using to do these battles in as it was easy to replace and it, despite its appearance, was made to allow for a lot of movement. Kyoya was the one to change the uniform to his standards once he overtook the school after he tore the others he had from 'disciplining' the rule breaking students. Apparently, Leon could spin fibres in his body which then made the fabric more resistant to soul-flames. She just accepted that as a thing, Leon was pretty cool and versatile. Tsunahime had tested it now with a bit of fabric left over (Reborn had known she would want to test the clothes properly before wearing them and so made sure his partner made extra. He knew Tsuna trusted him but testing the equipment that you were going to use was just common sense). While her own flames could burn it, it took more time depending on the output and she had to want to burn the cloth rather than it just being a side effect if she was using a relatively low output (keyword being relatively as her flames could burn _hot_ , hotter than the average flame when she wanted them to). Reborn's own suits was made of the stuff too, including his fedora… Because, god forbid his dear fedora got damaged...

Tsuna was quite happy with her new clothes. She wondered if Leon would be willing to make some more in the future. She hadn't asked yet though because the little fellow had exhausted himself, making a full set in such a small time frame. The green chameleon was still half asleep on Reborn's fedora now, trying to rest as much as he could before her battle started.

Kyoya had even tagged along for this fight, Hibird nesting on his head, occasionally singing the school anthem. He was behind everyone with a scowl on his face but Tsuna knew he was looking forward to watching his Alpha's fight. It wasn't often she fought outside of spars even if she wasn't going to be able to go full out in this ring battle. Fon had reclaimed his position on Takeshi's shoulder (Lichi occupied Takeshi's other shoulder, occasionally jumping back to Fon only to go back again, climbing around Takeshi. The rain didn't seem to mind that the monkey was using him as a improvised playground) for appearances sake, but the rain walked closer to Tsuna for the storm's sake. He remembered how hyper aware he was of Tsuna after his bonding and it was better for everyone involved if you made it easier for the newly bonded elements to see their sky.

It probably wasn't a very good idea that Tsuna was going to fight a mere day (not even a full twenty four hours) after their bonding. Both would be jumpy, regardless of how much they trusted in Tsuna's ability to win. It was a good thing that both of them was very, very good at hiding their emotions or stopping any emotions from being seen on their face. Tsuna didn't really know how the mafia would take the fact that she had managed to bond with not one but two of the Strongest. Hopefully, the mafia knew when to keep their nose out of her business but everyone had decided it was better to be on the safe side and keep the bonding hidden for now. Being an heir, which she technically wasn't at the moment but she would be if she won, did grant her some protection but not as much as being the Head of the 'Strongest Family' (Tsuna still had doubts about that, she was pretty sure the Familigila had gotten arrogant and lazy. Still, if she won this battle, she'd fix the Family and bring it up to the standards it was supposed to be when she was the head. Tsuna was at least glad that they had the Varia, their rules aside, they seemed to be the only thing keeping the family afloat, being as strong as they were).

"Everyone! Lady Sawada!" Tsuna hummed curiously, tilting her head as Basil ran up to her family. She hadn't seen the boy since she had a go at Iemitsu for daring to suggest that Lambo should fight in the lightning battle. To be honest, she expected to see the boy yesterday but then again if he couldn't find the place after the sun battle, maybe he had given up? Still, Dino's men had managed to find the place. Maybe Basil didn't bother looking for it last night. It made sense, it was pretty late on in the battles, being the final 'guardian' battle. Did he wait for them so he could go with them this time, to make sure he could get to the arena?

"Basil-san." Tsuna nodded her head in greeting, ignoring the way Ryohei placed himself in between them subtly, "Can I help you with something?"

Basil smiled and bowed in respect though his eyes held uncertainty. He obviously didn't know how he was supposed to act around her, given her clear dislike/hatred of Iemitsu, his so called 'master', "I was wondering if I could accompany thou to the arena?"

"Of course." She wondered if she could fix Basil's japanese but she doubted the boy would be in Japan for much longer given he was only here for the ring battles and today was when the last one was going to be held.

Basil nodded in thanks, hesitancy in his step as they walked down the darkly lit street before he began speaking again, "I was getting in touch with my teammates in Italy…" he started.

Reborn turned slightly to look at the boy in interest and some surprise while Tsuna pondered why the boy was so willing to give out what must be sensitive information in front of such a large group. Maybe he thought that if she was picked by his master, to be the next head of the family, then she must be trustworthy because his master trusted her (for some bizarre reason) and then her Own must also be trustworthy. That man didn't even know her but Tsuna decided it didn't matter what Basil thought about her based on Iemitsu's delusions. She wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth, though if she even did become the new head she reaffirmed to herself that she had to bring the Vongola's standards up. She didn't know how good Basil was at fighting but giving out information so freely was dangerous. Knowledge was power after all. It was one of the other reasons why Bat was so respected. That and she could easily blackmail anyone who got in her way, "How are they?" she prodded for more information, Reborn's interest filtering into his flames. If she remembered correctly, Bat said Iemitsu and his lackeys went to Italy to find out why Timoteo changed his mind so easily and suddenly about the heir candidacy. Iemitsu was going to go meet the head face to face. Given that Timoteo was obviously here, in Japan, Iemitsu must have gotten himself into some trouble. Tsunahime absent-mindlessly wondered if the man was dead before shaking her head and reminding herself that Iemitsu was her mother's Mate and she shouldn't be thinking such things regardless of her own personal opinions.

"Not good…" Basil sighed, sad, "Master and the rest were still trapped in the Vongola headquarters when I got in contact."

"Trapped? Inside their own headquarters? Do they not have fail safes for events like that?" Tsuna asked, incredulity filtering into her voice. The supernatural did. Most knew about the passages but only the people high up knew about _all_ of them. She couldn't imagine whoever was pretending to be Timoteo knew about things like that but Iemitsu must be high up enough to know. On the supernatural side of things, they never wrote or recorded that sort of information (at least not in a way where anyone would be able to get it, some clans had special techniques to hide their information), everything was memorised, passed on by word of mouth. It had its downsides, everything did, but at least it was more secure. Tsuna wouldn't be surprised if they were passageways in the arena that even she didn't know about, the result of others dying before they could pass on that knowledge.

"I don't know. I'm not high enough for that knowledge…" Basil sounded even more unsure about himself. Tsuna could see why as he was given information about the current situation which should, hopefully, be top secret.

"That prancing horse can't interfere either…" Hayato mumbled from a step behind her, he had first hand knowledge of the mafia and how it worked. Tsuna nodded in understanding and agreement. Dino was the Family's ally but this was an in-house problem. Reborn said something about mafia honor and politics when they got on the subject of munity. Tsuna had no interest in politics and merely got the 'it looks weak if someone else cleaned up the Family's problem, bambina' before stopping asking any questions about the subject. Politics always give her a headache, no matter how necessary it was.

"Either way, it doesn't matter." spoke Reborn.

Fon nodded, "Xanxus can only take over the family with the other familgila's support if he's been named heir. He needs to win this battle first." the Strongest storm's smile gained a hint of anticipation, "And that might prove… difficult."

"Haha, Tsuna's going to win." commented Takeshi as Basil peered up at Fon on the rain's shoulder with curiosity, wanting to ask why the not-baby was there but the sharp smiles that the rain and storm were now wearing stopped him from asking his questions. They were _scary_ and a little too creepy for comfort. Basil thought Fon was supposed to be the calm one of the Arcobaleno, the most approachable one. Figures they wouldn't have a single normal character in that group. Basil forgot that despite Fon's more peaceful nature he was also known as the Bloody Dragon among the triads as an enforcer. No one got a title like that by being peaceful. He was as feared in the triads as Reborn as in the mafia.

"Of course she is!" shouted Hayato, "She's the juudaime!" Tsuna laughed, slightly nervous. How was her name/title a reason for winning? Reborn smirked and patted her head, half reassuring and half mocking. She really needed to tell Reborn that she wasn't a cat and she didn't need to be petted… later. What? It felt nice!

Her elements' complete faith in her (and how it warmed her everytime she witnessed it. She loved her family, she really did) didn't seem to cheer the boy up though. Basil's frown etched deeper, "I heard this from Master Dino… Before the cradle affair, it seemed like they were five candidates, including Lady Sawada, to be the next boss. Among them, there were ninth's three older sons. But apart from the ninth boss and the consigliere, which is what the mafia call the outside advisor, the Family's upper echelon were all in support of Xanxus… The extent of Xanxus disposition to be a boss was that overwhelming…"

Tsuna hummed quietly in thought, "Well, Xanxus is the boss of the Varia. To be able to command such strong people in both strength and personality… It's an admirable quality to say the least."

"What?!" shouted Basil, "I don't think thou understand, Lady Sawada…"

"Oh?" Tsuna's eyes flashed dangerously and Basil flinched almost violently, reminding himself that this girl was someone who not only caught Xanxus' attention but Reborn's (and if Fon was here for Lady Sawada…) as well. Reborn shifted slightly as Fon smiling knowingly at him, the hitman resisted glaring at him, trying to keep ahold of himself. Really, dangerous Tsuna was too damn sexy for her own good… "I understand that because Xanxus is to be my opponent in this battle, most in the mafia expect me to hate him for some bizarre reason. Just because I am going to be fighting him doesn't mean I cannot appreciate and respect the person he is." Plus she could understand where the man was coming from, if only a little (not that she could say that with the boy being so firmly in Iemitsu's clutches and therefore Timoteo's). For him to be so respected, to have the hope, perhaps even expectancy, that he was going to be the next heir and trained himself for that goal only to have it cruelly ripped away because the man who said he was his father didn't have the strength to properly tell Xanxus before he had based his entire life on it… Tsuna could understand being let down by the people who called themselves family, heck, Iemitsu did just that to her. Of course, she had yet to get that adoption thing confirmed outside of her intuition (Tsuna had asked Bat but she didn't know for certain and so didn't comment. At least the Head knew how to keep a secret when he tried. Even if it wasn't something he should have been keeping secret in the first place, at least, not from Xanxus) but Tsuna thought it was pretty likely. Timoteo and Xanxus looked nothing alike and it would explain a lot. Not everything, but a lot, "It would be rather disrespectful of me to not acknowledge his strength if I am going to be fighting him." she finished, calmly.

Though tying the ninth up in a soul-flame sucking machine was a little too much in her opinion. Still, it was his revenge (being locked up in ice for _eight years_ , completely conscience, warranted that at the very least) and because she wasn't the heir at the moment she couldn't really say anything.

Basil fell quiet at that, not understanding why Lady Sawada would want to respect someone who was going to try and kill her but not wanting to speak up again, fearing her reaction. Only Tsuna's mists noticed the small, invisible mist construct that the not-baby had sent to spy on them, disappear, having heard every word. Their sky hadn't said anything that needed to be private, nor did the mist construct intend to harm them, and it was Basil's own fault for speaking about sensitive information in the open, he should know better, being in an organisation apparently known for its information gathering skills, so they let it go back to its master. The Strongest Mist was probably relaying everything they had said to his sky.

Well, it'd probably help in the long run. The mists knew that their sky wanted to keep Xanxus as a ally if possible.

* * *

When they got inside the arena, Tsuki having joined them and the two mists having silently appeared off to the side of the group, they spotted a large cloud of smoke covering the large arena fighting area. The smoke was hot to touch, well, it was for a normal human, as Basil -who ran closer to get a better look- flinched from it and said that it was. To Tsuna's elements as well as Tsuki, who had been around Tsuna enough times when she was angry it was merely warm, only slightly bordering on uncomfortable if they weren't prepared for it. And Reborn was _Reborn_ and so, _of course_ , he had trained himself to deal with extreme temperatures.

Xanxus was in the middle of it all, a grin of anticipation plastered on his face. The smoke seemed to be coming from the heat his flames emitted, that were raging under his skin, barely restrained, "Well, our opponent looks ready." commented Reborn with a smirk, hand pulling his fedora down to shadow his eyes. Two strange tripods was standing in the Arena, a dish like shape at the top of them.

Tsuna smiled, her own excitement mirrored in it, "That he does."

"So you came, Mini-trash…" Xanxus' grin widened with either blood lust or gleeful expectancy, Tsuna couldn't tell which.

* * *

 **And the next chapter is the start of the sky battle!**

 **Are you excited? I know I am! I honestly didn't expect this arc to take so long to write but it is what it is. I'm really glad all of you liked the previous chapter. I was a bit scared that Reborn's reaction would seem too far from Reborn's personality, even as an AU, but it doesn't seem it be a problem. Anyway, I love the support and reading the reviews. Lots of love, seriously, you guys always make my day!**

 **Not much happening on this chapter, apart from the build up, and a slight insight on the family dynamic, but don't worry, action is coming.**

 **Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed it and leave a review on the way out if you want to!**


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter Thirty

 _"So you came, Mini-trash…" Xanxus' grin widened with either blood lust or gleeful expectancy, Tsuna couldn't tell which._

* * *

"I did say I was looking forward to our fight. I wouldn't miss it." Tsuna replied, letting the hot smoke blow off her form harmlessly as calm as she always has been.

The cervello, like they have done for all the previous times, jumped down from wherever they were hiding (this time on the upper floor that looked down on the arena) before speaking, "We have been expecting you and you have brought all for your guard- elements with you." The cervello corrected themselves when Kyoya growled warningly at them, a flash of metal appearing in his hands before it disappeared. Tsuna nodded, she had been told by Tsuki that the cervello had sent a compulsory summons to all the elements/guardians of the two skies who were going to fight. Her intuition had flared up before quietening down when that happened so she assumed that she wouldn't like what was about to happen but it would be alright in the end. Tsunahime hoped, anyway. She had told all her elements to be careful and watch out but she couldn't do much beyond that. Tsuna wanted this match to be legit (well, as legit as the mafia could be anyway) so her introduction to the mafia would be as smooth as possible. Fon and Reborn were her elements now and she didn't want to put them in danger or weaken the reputation that they had worked so hard for by being represented as someone who broke traditional rules merely because she didn't like them. Tsuna understood the respect most people had for traditions (traditions being a big part in some supernatural cultures) and so wanted to respect them in turn.

She just hoped that whatever was going to happen wasn't too bad because tradition or not there was only so much she could take before she _snapped_.

"The others are extremely here too." added Ryohei, though the wrath's guardians didn't look so extreme, as her sun would put it. Belphegor was the only one who looked to be in decent condition however unstable his mind was when he saw his blood. Mammon was tied up in a cage with chains wrapped around it. Tsuna wondered if the chains actually kept the mist there or if it was just for show because mists were difficult to trap as a unofficial, but acknowledged rule and he was the named the strongest. Leviathan had bandages over every bit of skin she could see. Though the bandages didn't cover his face, he did have some plasters to cover over some burns that looked particularly nasty.

"Please be more gentle~ You're handling a critical patient, you know!" shouted Lussuria, very much alive and… well, shouting. Tsuna saw Xanxus' eyes widen slightly, a minute detail, before regaining composure though the man shifted in Lussuria's direction slightly. It was clear he didn't expect the cervello to take his Own while they were so injured. Lussuria was the only one Tsuna knew who had been critically hurt (though Squalo was hurt by Takeshi, she knew her rain well enough to know he wouldn't have aimed to kill because he liked the other rain and so the loud man probably wouldn't die. He was probably in a lot of pain but Takeshi had took a liking to Squalo. He had probably only gone that far because Takeshi knew the man's pride as a swordsman wouldn't allow himself to be defeated by anything less), not counting the so called cloud guardian. Leviathan was injured badly, sure, but it wouldn't be enough to kill the man, given the type of people he hung around with on a daily basis. Tsuna almost smiled, seeing Xanxus act like an average sky. She knew he could but it was obvious that he preferred not to. She refrained from doing so though, knowing people with similar pride to the man and that smiling at him would let the boss of the Varia know she saw his moment of 'weakness'. Tsuna had often wondered why people thought caring for others was a weakness. It seemed pretty stupid to her.

Instead, she asked the question that he probably wanted to ask but his pride wouldn't allow him to, "What is the meaning of this? Can you not see that they are injured?" Tsuna was going to ignore the sun flames that cheerfully displayed that, while Lussuria wasn't completely fine, he were strong enough to not warrant the bed the man was strapped to. He was a sun flame user, it only made sense that he could heal his own wounds, even subconsciously. Though he did seem pretty tired and he was slightly sweating, his internal injuries were probably mostly healed by now. Squalo was also escorted in soon after she said that by another member of the cervello (how many were there? They looked almost identical to each other, perhaps it was a mist technique). He was not on a bed like Lussuria, but he did have clutches. They couldn't see any bandages, but Takeshi had hit him on the back so they were probably hidden by his trenchcoat. She saw Xanxus' eyes flicker with anger before they were hidden away.

"The compulsory summons do not take anything else into account." one of the twins said coldly, "Because in the sky battle, the sky rings as well as the lives of the six guardians/elements will be at stake."

Tsunahime narrowed her eyes, "My Own will be fighting?" a frown pulled at the edges of her mouth.

"That's right."

"But our opponents are already injured. We do not like to fight people who can't fight to the fullest." Her elements (or at least her known elements) nodded their agreement. It wasn't any fun to fight someone who wasn't at their best nor was they any satisfaction to be had in winning that sort of fight.

"Once the summons was received, no matter what condition we are in, we have to assemble. That's the duty of a guardian!" spoke Lussuria, pride and passion lacing his voice though Tsuna didn't miss the slight anger in his voice. Not at his current situation but at her.

"Exactly. I'm also hoping that Xanxus' anger has been appeased and I'd have a chance to help him." added Mammon, his voice was monotone but the fact he said anything at all spoke volumes.

Belphegor laughed that weird laugh of his, "How nicely put. We only caught you instead of killing you. Don't be smooth-talking now."

"Shut up, Bel!" shouted Lussuria with Squalo joining in with his, "Voi!" swinging a clutch around for effect, the prince ducking the cutch that went flying over his head with another laugh.

"Is it just me or do they sound familiar…?" muttered Hayato, quietly. Tsuna blinked, looking closer at the arguing guardians before smiling. They sounded like a more chaotic, blood thirsty version of her Own. They were rough around the edges and their bonds to each other were twisted but they did all care about each other in some way. She approved of Xanxus' guardians though it wasn't like he needed her approval.

"I see…" Tsuna started, bringing Xanxus' Own attention to her, understanding Lussuria's anger now, "Forgive me for my earlier comment. If you are all willing to fight and have the resolve to do so then we will fight you." Tsuna gave a small bow, careful of Reborn on her shoulder. She had probably hurt their pride saying what she had before and wanted to apologise. They looked at her shocked, wrong footed entirely, before nodding however hesitant, not really sure what else to do. Xanxus looked even more pleased with fighting her. Given his choice in guardians, Tsuna felt the same. It wasn't everyday she met a sky who seemed to take their job of protecting their elements seriously. Even if to accomplish that, he tended to hurt them first. It made sense in a strange sort of way. He hurt his element in a way he knew they'd survive, while also making sure that no one thought they could take advance of his bond between element and sky, in order to stop more people from targeting his Own. It took a lot for a sky to purposely hurt their own elements, especially when they were bonded properly like he was. Tsunahime could never bring herself to do something like that. Xanxus did all he could to protect his Own and Tsuna respected that however heavy handed his approach was.

"Then let us begin the sky battle." No one objected so the cervello carried on with their rules and instructions, "Alright, firstly, we will collect the guardian rings-"

"What?!" cut in Ryohei, "After we fought for them, now we have to give them extremely back?!"

"If you are the true guardian then you have nothing to worry about." start the cervello, "In the end the vongola rings will return to their true owners anyway." Tsuna narrowed her eyes, not understanding a word of what that meant. Were these rings supernatural in some way? It would explain why the mafia prized them so much. Tsuna glanced at the ring around her neck as the cervello went around and took the rings back, depositing them in two separate, identical boxes, one box for each group. Once done, they addressed the two groups again, "We will now explain the rules of the sky battle. It will be similar to the other battles; one of the conditions to win is to join the two halves of the ring. However, the field will be this entire building."

Not very fair considering they have already let it known that the Arena was their home turf, their base, still Tsuna wasn't going to be the one to complain about it, "Haha, that's a pretty big area to fight in, Tsuna!" laughed Takeshi, still very much light hearted despite the serious atmosphere the cervello seem to prokove when they talk/monologue. Come to think about it, the mafia liked to monologue quite a lot, thought Tsuna. Squalo and Belphegor did it as well.

"It is a little unfair to be using this field, however." mused Fon. While he was part of the triads and, to a lesser extent, the mafia, he liked to keep to his sense of honor whenever possible.

"They're professional assassins." stated Reborn, simply. To him, it evened things out, given the fact that the bambina was younger and less experienced in the mafia, he ignored that she was probably stronger than Xanxus if she used her full power. Tsunahime had refused to do that and Xanxus had been stuck in ice for eight years. They were probably going to be fighting at the same level of power. It evened the playing field.

"Alpha doesn't need any handicaps to beat the not-herbivore." growled Kyoya, whose comment was quickly backed up by Hayato.

"Now, now they weren't saying that, little Kyoya-chan~" sung Mukuro, dodging a tonfa by jumping to the side with a creepy laugh. Tsuki sighed, tiredly but didn't intervene. No one expected her too.

Tsuna laughed quietly before turning to the cervello, "Please continue, they will settle down eventually."

The cervello looked unsure about that assessment, watching as the male mist summoned a trident to defend himself with. The sun, shouting 'extreme' before jumping into the fight. Chrome shuffled over to Takeshi with Hibird on her shoulder. The bird, having flown there when Kyoya started attacking. Lichi immediately went to inspect Hibird now that Kyoya wasn't guarding the bird so viciously. Still, they couldn't really do anything about it and carried on, it was their fault if they didn't listen to the rules, "In order to watch such a wide area, we have installed large screen displays at the observation box we have set up as well as various other locations."

Tsuki frowned slightly, she would need to make a mental note to get a full sweep of the Arena once the cervello left. She'd have to call in a few favours to get it done as quickly as possible. Perhaps Bat would know a few people? Then again, the old demon was quite busy with the work Tsunahime-sama have given her and seemed quite happy doing it. Tsuki didn't want to interfere with that if it wasn't essential she do so.

"Also the guardians and the elements will be using these wristbands installed with a camera-equipped monitor." they held up a wristband, similar to a watch but with a small screen where the clock face would be, before they handed them out.

Tsunahime frowned, a buzz echoing in her mind, growing louder and louder, she was getting a bad feeling about all this.

A _really_ bad feeling.

She shifted in place minutely, trying to seem unaffected, as nervousness formed a deep, dark pit in her stomach. Her frown deepening as all her elements complied (some begrudgingly) with the cervello's request and placing their wristbands on their wrists after settling down. Mukuro gaining one from the cervello as well as Chrome when he went on about how the rules never stated that only one element only had to fight, it had just never been done before (poor mafia, completely certain that transcendent skies were a myth… not that the cervello were aware that was what Tsuna was, of course). Her hyper intuition _screamed_ before quieting into a dull, continuous pounding.

Reborn subtlety squeezed Tsuna's neck with his hand that rested lightly at her nape, not able to show anything more overt with people that weren't family (family, not Family, their shared sky, his _sky_ ) in the area, sensing her nervousness through their bond (an actual flame bond! This was never going to get old), his fellow -and that was still strange, however freeing it felt in a way- elements sensing the same and forming an almost circle around her. Fon, who was very much still affected by the new sense of harmony as Reborn was, leapt from Takeshi's shoulder to Tsuna's other shoulder, not able to refrain from allowing himself to get closer, not matter how that could be taken by the Varia and the cervello, sending her a vaguely confused feeling through the bond. His hard practised facque wouldn't allow him to show anything on his face apart from never-ending calm. Reborn loved being able to cheat like this and he had a feeling Fon did too.

Tsuna took a small, near silent breath, speaking in a bear whisper though her anxiety was almost palpable to the group, "Something isn't right. This battle… I will not like it." Reborn and Fon tensed, falling into their old pattern of when they were partners before the Arcobaleno curse and merely doing missions together, flames already searching, because they would not allow a threat to their sky before realising that whatever was going to happen was going to happen in the coming battle. A battle they couldn't be apart of.

Fon and Reborn shared a look, understanding in that moment that they were not going to like this either…

 _Not at all_.

"Will all the guardians and elements make their way to their respective battle grounds." sounded the cervello, breaking Tsuna's elements out of their search-and-destroy frame of mind. They twitched, reaching for weapons or merely going into an almost fighting stance (The two Arcobaleno were somewhat pacified from their realisation by that, the reaction showing that the other elements weren't rookies, not completely, and that they would defend their sky to the best of their ability) before realising that they couldn't just destroy the cervello because the mafia had _rules_ and you had to follow them if you wanted to be even somewhat accepted by the higher ups in said mafia. They were regretting asking Tsuna to go along with this for the chance of a real fight.

"Huh? Our battle field, what's the point of that?" asked Leviathan. Not to mention some of the battles were held in the same area. It could easily become a mess.

"We are not entertaining any questions. If you do not follow the instructions, you will be disqualified." Tsuna sighed as all her elements tensed slightly at the perceived order, none of them were the type to be ordered around, before she gave a nod, giving her permission to follow the cervello's rules. At least for now. Dealing with the mafia was becoming troublesome very quickly.

Hayato 'tched' and summed up what she thought everyone was thinking, "Damn annoying bitches." Her lips twitched, restraining a smile.

Belphegor laughed, probably agreeing with the other storm, "We're not going to just watch? Shishishi, sounds like fun."

"Then let's do an extreme circle!" Ryohei shouted, "This is the only time we'll be able to do it!" Mukuro laughed and appeared behind Reborn with Chrome doing the same with Fon, both echoing the same smiles (Fon wondered why Chrome's seemed creepier than Mukuro's). The unspoken threat hanging in the air. If they ran, the mists would make a scene til they implied… Reborn scowled, dammit! He liked his pride!

…

Not as much as he loved his bambina's smile when she lit up upon realising that he and Fon would be joining the circle… Reborn sighed quietly, resigning himself to the fact that this would probably be happening often, he really had it bad… He was so happily doomed...

Fon, on the other hand, really didn't mind and kept his position on his sky's shoulder as everyone formed a circle around Tsunahime. This way it wasn't completely obvious that Reborn and himself were now apart of of the circle despite being exempt from it before. He wasn't a massive touchy-feely type person (which most Italians were, actually, given their culture. But Reborn was a hitman and people like that tended to shy away from it from lack of it overtime till it just became strange or because of bad experiences. Most of the time it was both. Fon could relate and it was only because of his former and current clans that he didn't become like Reborn, who only really did touch when it involved a bed… and sometimes not even a bed if the stories in the mafia held even a hint of truth… Fon didn't really want to think about something like that, he _really_ didn't) but he wasn't completely against it. He found it quite amusing that the younger sun and the rain in the group seemed so adamant on something like this despite the atmosphere not a moment ago. Or, perhaps, it was because of the atmosphere? Regardless, it was like a breath of fresh air for him, whose existence was so thoroughly entrenched in an organisation as bloody as the mafia.

(It was also a nice bonus to watch Reborn completely helpless against Tsunahime. This was starting to make up from the headaches he got trying to mediate between Reborn and, well, _everyone else_. The troll needed to learn how to stop and relax, unfortunately his flames had the quality of activation which made it almost impossible to teach him something like that. Fon was already surprised when he first properly met Tsunahime to find Reborn quietly sitting her presence).

"Tsunahime, Fight!"

Kyoya, his cute little nephew, was the first to back away, Tsuki following his example with Mukuro not far behind. All of them scowling. Fon fought to stop his lips twitching into an amused smile. Kyoya still glared at him though as if he knew what Fon was trying not to do as he made his way up to the roof, Tsuki following at a sedated pace. Mukuro staying in the Arena with Ryohei as everyone went to their assigned spots.

"This is it, huh? Pretty strange place." Tsuna smoothly turned her head, seeing both Shamal and Colonello, Falco holding him up in the air, stepping (or flying) into view from the stands above. Colonello looked pretty surprised to see Fon with her group while Shamal continued looking around with a careless attitude.

"Oh? Are you here to watch?" Tsunahime asked with a tilt of her head.

"I'm just here to jeer." denied Colonello.

Shamal seemed to have froze after looking at her before hearts took over his eyes (like actual hearts, his eyes were gone! How was that possible?!), "Ah, what a-" he didn't get further than that, Reborn's Leon gun was smoking slightly as a small dribble of blood ran down the man's cheek from the cut Reborn intentionally made with his bullet because Reborn _never_ missed unless it was intentional.

"You were saying?" Reborn innocently asked, a smirk etched onto his face, smugness radiating from it as Fon's smile gained both a hint of blood lust and amusement. Their gleaming eyes spoke of further _painpainpain_ and no wonder Reborn got along so well with Fon. He was a softly spoken maniac.

Tsunahime knew he'd fit in well.

Shamal, however, backtracked immediately, both mentally and physically as he did take a step back. Mind coming to a sharp halt because here were two Arcobaleno being protective of a _sky_. Which didn't happen! At all. All of them were more than merely cynical about skies after Luce, if they weren't already beforehand, being the strongest and the downsides that came with that. He risked a glance at Colonello, who looked as surprised he was. Okay then, not common or even known knowledge… Knowledge he'd be taking to his grave most likely... Being Reborn's almost friend was tiring, "Er… What a pleasure it is to meet you?" Shamal was well aware that his voice was slightly higher than usual but it was _Reborn_ on the other side of that gun barrel with Fon at his side so his reaction was more than understandable. Plus, friend or not, Reborn was a possessive little shite when it came to what he decided was _his_ and showed it violently… And apparently the little sky was included in that very small, almost nonexistent, list…

...He needed another drink...

Reborn took a moment to bask in the _terrified silence_ that reigned before turning to his bambina with a smirk as Leon returned to his spot of his fedora, Fon's smile settled back to his default calm, Lichi chittering on his head, amused at his owner. They could hear Mukuro's delighted laugh in the background.

Both were very much under the effects of a new bond still, observed Tsuna as she tried not to think of the image her mind had conjured up when Reborn looked at her. Like a puppy wanting to be praised for doing a good deed. It didn't really help as she just thought about it more but she did cover them with her flames as a thank you, eyes softening.

"Looks like everyone has arrived at their locations." announced the cervello, breaking the silence, risking a glance at Reborn, put off by his unusual reaction. Sometimes Fon was annoyed by the lack of reputation he had in the mafia apart for the Storm Arcobaleno or Strongest Martial Artist. This was one of these times.

In each of the previous areas where the battles had taken place, stood a tripod, a bowl like shape at the top of them. Two were at the roof as two sets of elements were there, the same was done for the main arena, "We've set up a pole at each of the battle fields. The top of each ring, contains the ring of the same type." Tsunahime wondered when they had time to do that before dismissing the thought. It wasn't really important in the long run.

Everyone looked up to the poles in curiosity, now that it was clear that they were going to use them, "So everyone is scrambling for the rings again?" she asked, that didn't sound too bad, all things considered.

It did not explain the warning her hyper intuition gave her… Which just made her more warey.

"You are all free to do so… that's if you are able to…" as if that was a signal for something, all her elements, her dear _family_ , and Xanxus' guardians suddenly tensed, some gasping in both shock and pain, only Tsuki was unnaturally still. Tsunahime felt her elements' flames flare in pain before they all regained control of their soul-flames and pulled it closer to them, shielding it, so she couldn't sense their pain as easily.

Tsuna's flames stilled dangerously before growing and flaring in fury, the flames just below visibility. She bent her head, shadowing her eyes, "What was that?" her voice was fighting to stay calm, hoping above hope that what she thought just happened _didn't_. She felt Reborn and Fon tense slightly before loosening in a way that allowed for more range of movement, following her line of thought easily. Shamal and Basil gasped in shock, surprised by the level of brutality that the cervello was administering to highschool kids.

"Just then, all guardians were injected with a poison administered from their wristband." the cervello as cold and unfeeling as they usually was. They even called her elements 'guardians' now that Kyoya was out of sight, the wolf wouldn't be too happy about that. They were acting like this was a _normal_ thing to do. Like they had done this so many times that they didn't care anymore. Except this wasn't _normal_ , not to Tsunahime. This was her family that they have just targeted.

Her _Own_.

She was too absorbed in her anger that she didn't even see Xanxus' surprise slip onto his face before it disappeared into a blank mask. All she could see was her elements, her bonded, shaking in _pain_ as they fought the poison in their veins, the poison that burned through their bodies like molten lava.

The cervello either didn't notice or didn't care about her rising wrath as they continued, "This position is called the Death Hitter, once administered, it will paralyze the victim's nerves instantly, even standing will prove difficult. Than a burning pain will spread throughout the body increasing gradually, until thirty minutes later… the victim will die."

Tsunahime's flames were scorching in their intensity. She trembled in her rage, trying to keep it contained. Reborn squeezed her neck tightly but she paid it no mind. She did the same when Fon gripped her shoulder, attempting to knock her out of it. Orange flames seemed to spring to life. They burnt the ground, leaving deep, dark burn marks. She faintly heard three yelps of surprise. The phoenix didn't pay any attention to that, her flames were growing by the second. A red haze filled her vision, her blood was boiling under her skin. She could hear it pumping loudly in her ears, drowning everything out. It felt like her body was on _fire_ , her blood heating up to almost uncomfortable levels.

This was unforgivable...

Tsunahime refused to let this stand.

She would have their _heads_.

* * *

 **So I lied... no action in this chapter... sorry guys! But, angry Tsuna, that still counts right?**

 **...**

 **Don't be mad!**

 **Anyway, I hoped you enjoyed it. The start of the sky battle properly begins on the next chapter!**

 **PLEASE READ!**

 **A guest commented on the reviews about the age gap and how it would paint both Reborn and Tsuna. Truthfully, in my fanfic not many people will have a problem with the age gap, they are in the mafia after all, they are not exactly the most moral of people. Though I might make Iemitsu bring it up. Plus, like I mentioned, Tsuna is supernatural and so any supernatural generally won't have a problem with it because she** _is_ **an adult to them. That being said, Tsuna and Reborn won't do anything intimate while Reborn is in his baby form. I won't be writing anything like that, don't worry, I'm not comfortable with that either. Tsuna will be under eighteen when Reborn makes a move though (in his adult form) and starts their relationship properly. I'm sorry if that makes some people uncomfortable but where I'm from the age of consent is sixteen, and Japan's age of consent is thirteen (I think, anyway) so I don't see the point in making her older. Plus, I've already said she's a lot more mentally mature than a human would be at her age. If it makes anyone feel better, her mental age is over eighteen is human years anyway. She knows exactly what she's getting into and she's not being mislead.**

 **I would have sent this reply directly to the guest who brought up the issue, but you can't reply to guests in the review section, so...**

 **Again, sorry if this issue makes anyone uncomfortable. I've tried to address all the issues I can think of someone having a problem with such a relationship over the story, short of messing up the timeline and making her older. This may be an AU but I didn't really want to do that, the school setting being a big thing in the anime and I wanted to stay close to the roots while adding another element. If anyone has another problem they want addressed or cleared, feel free to ask me and I will try to sent back a reply that will help reassure you.**

 **I'm not going to change my story though, or Tsuna's age. From the beginning, I have announced the pairing so everyone knew what to expect and I'm not going to change it.**

 **Anyway, that's enough seriousness, thanks for the reviews and comments as always, I'll see you guys next chapter!**


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter Thirty One

 _This was unforgivable..._

 _Tsunahime refused to let this stand._

 _She would have their heads._

* * *

Fon and Reborn watched as Tsunahime delved deeper into her consuming anger. This was bad, _really bad_ , thought Fon. He had heard stories of a phoenix's anger. It was something the supernatural told their children to inspire good behaviour. It was the same equivalent as the boogeyman was to humans. He needed to stop this before it got out of hand. Well, more than it was already. Tsunahime was trembling already, she probably couldn't hear them at this point. He turned to Reborn, hoping for some backup. Unfortunately, Reborn looked more turned on than scared at the moment so Fon would be getting no help there. Reborn would sooner fan the flames than stop her.

Fon would have sighed if the situation wasn't so dire…

Her flames were so hot now that Basil, Colonello and Shamal had to shamble back (or fly back) in fear of getting burned. The only thing that stopped the same thing happening to them was the bond between sky and element. The other guardians and elements were still to far away the sky flames to burn. Luckily, the others probably thought it was their strong flames that stopped Fon and Reborn being affected as they were the strongest among the Arcobaleno. The orange flames were burning everything they touched, spreading further out as time went on. Xanxus looked surprised by the display of power. Or maybe he was surprised by how wrath-like her flames had gotten. Fon didn't think it mattered, he was still thinking about how to stop her, despite knowing how dangerous it could be to even attempt that.

It didn't help that a part of him was telling him to just let Tsuna rage. The cervello endangered not only his fellow elements but his dear nephew as well.

"How _dare_ you…" he heard Tsuna whisper, her voice heavy with animosity and _killkillkill_ , Fon saw Reborn grin. It was a sharp, nasty, bloodthirsty thing, echoing excitement, before he had gained enough sense to tilt his fedora down enough to shadow his face and therefore his grin from view. He could feel Tsuna's own bloodlust affecting him as well, pulling at him, encouraging him, but unlike Reborn, Fon knew just how dangerous and destructive a phoenix could be when they got like this.

Tsunahime's flames lashed out, snapping violently in the air, causing the cervello to flinch, despite trying to stay level-headed, Fon felt satisfaction when he saw the sweat gathering on the cervello's skin as they took a step back, "What do you think you are doing? Attacking my Own, _poisoning_ my Own?" Tsuna's voice hissed, outrage hot on her tongue. Tsunahime's head was still bowed, her hands clenched into tight fists, her flames licked up her arms, already covering her fists.

"I-In this battle, the lives of all the guardians are entrusted in the hands of the boss, the sky. That is the sky battle. T-there is only one way to stop the poison from advancing. That is to insert the matching ring into each guardian's wristband. Once the ring is inserted in the indentation, it will activate the mechanism to release the Death Hitter's antidote stored in the wristband." The cervello wasn't quite able to hide the nervousness they felt but they did a good job all things considering.

"So the element's rings have become a crucial element." stated Fon, being the only one out of the three capable of speech apparently. His sky had gone silent once more and Reborn seemed to be revelling in Tsuna's anger still, eyeing her in a way that probably wasn't appropriate given the fact that this was supposed to be the start of a battle. At least he was trying to keep it subtle, Fon thought with a near sigh. Then again, with Tsunahime drawing all the attention like she was, no one would have realised either way. Xanxus seemed to be taking a mental step back, not bothering to interrupt, watching as Tsunahime fought to keep still. He looked… pleased at Tsuna's reaction.

The mafia was just full of violent people… Not that the triads were any different, Fon supposed.

"Exactly, therefore the condition for victory in the sky battle is simply this, you must acquire all the vongola rings." The cervello hesitantly walked forward, holding a chain, "Please use this to collect the full set of the vongola rings." she held it out at a safe distance from the phoenix, well, what they thought was a safe distance.

Tsunahime slowly glanced up, showing one blazing, orange eye, the other hidden by how her hair had fallen. The pink-haired women flinched subtlety when Tsuna looked at her and reached for the chain. Her eyes never left the women and continued to stare at her when she walked away, trying not to seem like she was running away, giving Xanxus an identical chain. The orange eyes pierced through her like a predator would do their prey, tracking her every movement, though her flames retracted slightly, her rage coming under control, if only slightly as Fon used his own to try and centre her.

Reborn finally got ahold of himself, forcing back another shiver of excitement, and dropped from Tsuna's shoulder, Fon doing the same, when Tsunahime reached up to tie the chain around her neck, "One last thing, once the battle has started, any outside interference from non-participating personnel is forbidden."

Fon and Reborn stared at each other, understanding how hard that was going to be, especially without giving anything away, before nodding and replying, "Understood."

"Everyone!" Tsuna called, voice ringing with power and authority, knowing her voice would be heard regardless of the distance, this was her elements that she was calling out to, they would always be able to hear her, "Use any force necessary to get those rings!" She felt her bonded send her reassuring feelings her way (calming her rage to a more manageable level, they were fine, they were strong, no human-made poison would kill them. She had to remember that. Had to hold onto that belief. Tsuna couldn't attack the cervello now. She had to hang back, wait til the cervello thought they were safe and strike from the shadows. Her flame calmed some more at that mental promise. Yes, she'd show the cervello that her elements were't to be toyed with but not yet. Not yet...) before turning to Xanxus, who was waiting with a grin.

"Are you done?" he questioned.

Tsuna nodded, too angry to smile still but trying to be polite nonetheless, she wasn't angry at him, "Yes, my thanks for waiting." Xanxus' smirk grew.

"If you wish to observe the battle come this way. Hurry, please!" called the cervello to Reborn, Fon, Shamal, Colonello and Basil, seeing the battle about to start. "The observation box is at the top of the stands, like before please do not step outside the infrared sensors."

They nodded and followed the women as her twin called, "Now, the sky ring battle, Xanxus vs Sawada Tsunahime, begin!"

* * *

Tsuki watched silently as the wolf demon gritted his teeth, form trembling ever so slightly as he tried to fight against the poison while also staying within Tsunahime-sama's orders about making sure to hide any of their more unusual traits. As a vampire, she was technically dead, her heart still and unmoving in her chest, and so poison didn't affect her and acting like it did was pointless now considering she didn't know what was effecting Tsunahime-sama's elements before those cervello chicks announced it and by that point it was too late.

She could feel the phoenix's anger from here and felt slight pity for the cervello for invoking it. She wondered what Tsunahime-sama would do to them given the fact that they were protected by the ring battle rules. She still wanted to do this thing as legit as possible given her two new family member's involvement in the mafia already. Tsuki didn't think she'd risk that regardless of her current anger and state of mind.

Once the ring battles are over though…

Still, this poison thing worked in Tsuki favour, given her opponent's current state. He looked like he was in a lot of pain. It must be difficult getting by with only human circumstances though Mr Hitman seems to be doing quite well for himself (if you ignore his obviously cursed state). Then again, Tsuki didn't completely buy the whole idea that Reborn was completely human. He must have some supernatural blood in him somewhere. He had fought against some of the toughest opponents the arena can boast and _won_. That wasn't something a normal human could do. Even if the not-baby had some trouble at the beginning.

"Everyone!" Tsuki straightened hearing Tsunahime-sama's voice easily. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Hibari do the same, "Use any force necessary to get those rings!"

The wolf smirked, purple flames bursting into being, his previous trembling forgotten about as he used some of his demonic essence to ignore the poison in his system. He'd probably flush it out before the poison had any chance to kill him anyway regardless of Tsunahime-sama's order, "Wao," she heard the wolf mutter before he turned around and smashed his tonfa into the cloud pole. The metal bent like wet paper under the blow and crashed to the floor. Hibari scowled, seemingly annoyed by the lack of resistance the pole had to his attack before he seized his cloud ring and inserted it into the wristband, releasing the antidote. He safety pocketed the ring, only glancing at Tsuki before walking off into the direction of the other battles.

Tsuki shrugged, not caring much, as she looked back to her crippled opponent and the pole which held the lightning ring. She yawned as she thought about whether she should get the ring and give the man the antidote or get the ring and leave the man to his death. Though there was always a chance he'd survive if Tsunahime-sama finished her battle quickly, so he might not die.

Leviathan groaned in pain, his form shaking, as Tsuki yawned once more, contemplating her choice.

* * *

Tsunahime grinned, feeling her anger gradually leave her as she had someone to take out her anger on. Not that her opponent seemed to mind. Xanxus hadn't stopped smirking his gleeful smirk since their battle began. Tsuna was quite glad that she was used to fighting Reborn though, as Xanxus' marksmanship was top notch. Not that she was a expert on guns but Reborn was the best in that field and Xanxus, while not at that level, could still be called good even after being used to dodging Reborn's bullets.

Which said _a lot_ about the man's skills.

The man's flames were pretty strong too, but maybe that was expected given the fact that he managed to draw in Mammon who is an Arcobaleno. His sky was fused with his storm soul flames so much that his wrath sky was extra destructive. And not something she'd want to get hit by (at least not at the current level she was fighting at), she noted, as she dodged out of the way of his flame enhanced bullet. It actually managed to make a small dent in the walls of the arena.

That was _impressive_.

This area was the main attraction in the arena and as such was enforced with enough charms, wards and magicks of enough types to make most people's head spin. It was cheaper that way. It was expensive to set it up originally but the costs that would need to go into repairing the wall after every fight made it worth it. A normal stone wall couldn't withstand most supernatural strength after all. Making even a mark on that wall was difficult.

"What the hell is that wall made of, mini-trash?!" It didn't seem that Xanxus thought it was that impressive though, given his reaction.

Tsuna smiled, "I'm impressed you managed to actually dent it, I called in the favours to make the main arena's walls myself." she said, calmly dodging the question. It did sound pretentious, how her worded her sentence, but when a phoenix called you in to do a job, it was considered a honour for most and even if they didn't think of it like that, no one would want to risk a phoenix's anger. This meant that everyone she called in did their job properly and to the best of their ability.

Still, that amount of power was worrying at the current level she was fighting at, and so to help combat that, she summoned her flames once more but instead of going into the form she showed to Xanxus before, she shifted properly into her half phoenix form. It was risky but the wards would stop anyone from talking about it to people that didn't see it directly (no methods of trying to communicate it to someone would work, not even if you got a mist to go inside your head and extract the information), if they tried it would merely replace the memory with her using her flames in a creative way. Plus she really didn't like the other form she used. It was beyond uncomfortable. It was like being hot and cold at the same time, your body constantly fighting with itself as it tried it make sense of what she was.

Brown hair soon became almost taken over with red and orange with bits of yellow flashes. Great wings burst forth from her back, baring the same colouring as her eyes glowed an golden amber. Tsunahime stared calmly at Xanxus' shocked expression before smiling and turning her feathers into deadly blades, though they still retained their appearance. With a flap of her wings, she was in front of the man and struck out, Xanxus flew back and crashed into the wall before bouncing off it, the wall completely intact, though slightly damaged.

Tsunahime used the time Xanxus was using to recover to turn and shot a feather at the Sun pole, dropping the sun ring in front of her element. The flame powered feather melting the metal of the pole easily. She couldn't hit the mist pole, not having enough time but she had allowed everyone to show off a little more and Mukuro wouldn't be able to stand seeing Chrome in pain to mess around too much.

* * *

"What the hell is that, kora?!" exclaimed Colonello, gesturing wildly to Tsuna's newly revealed form. Her wings shown clearly as she jumped forward to attack Xanxus. Shamal and Basil equally confused.

Fon sighed silently, he had a feeling something like this would happen when Tsuna allowed everyone to use however much force they wanted but a warning would have been nice. Reborn was thinking along the same lines. He soon smirked though, getting an idea. With his usual superior smirk, he turned to Colonello, "What do you think it is, Baka-Colonello?" he waited a moment when Colonello was too busy staring at Tsuna's half phoenix form in disbelief to reply, "Wait, you don't actually think that bambina has wings, do you?"

Colonello jumped, blushing slightly, before turning around to face the hitman, "W-what, of course not! I was just asking because I have no idea how she'd doing that!" he denied.

"You actually thought she had wings!" Reborn continued with a snort of amusement as if Colonello hadn't said anything. Hopefully, only Tsuna would be transforming because he wouldn't be able to do this again.

He would have continued teasing the military man if Shamal hadn't asked, "How is Sawada doing that then?" Being more respectful of the girl than he would normally be. Reborn's previous reaction still burned into his mind.

"The bambina is just using her flames like a mist would, solidifying them into a shape and using it. Only she can really do it because she has strong flames and has enough of them of construct something like that despite it not being her flame property. Her 'wings' are that colour because of her flame type." The bambina didn't actually have storm flames but with that display early, he doubted anyone would question it. When she was angry, it really was uncanny how much her flame felt like a wrath's.

"And her hair?" questioned Basil, curiously.

It was Fon who answered, putting on a mildly contemplating voice, "Some people have reported having their appearance changed because of their flames, I think. I know if I'm angry enough, my eye colour changes to reflect my storm flame. It probably isn't too strange for something else to be affected given how much of her flame she is releasing at the moment." Fon looked at Reborn as if for confirmation on his 'theory' which Reborn gladly gave. It was nice having someone else on the same wavelength to work with. Reborn didn't really work with people as a rule, given his freelancer status. He'll have to adapt.

* * *

Ryohei was using his flames to quickly flush the painful poison for his system. If there was a time he wished he had those extreme immune systems that most of his family had, it would be right about now. The poison had rendered him useless til he could either get used to the pain (which seemed unlikely given it was slowly increasing) or get rid of it.

His extreme opponent wasn't doing much better, he saw. The other sun was still strapped to his bed (and it was very unextreme that the cervello didn't even release the sun from his confides before the sky battle started) and was moaning in pain. Ryohei felt Tsuna change rather than saw as he was currently screwing his eyes shut from the pain. He felt the heat of his sky's flames above him as the metal pole melted in the middle, the pole falling and the ring dropping to the ground.

On instinct taught to him by Hibari, Ryohei blindly grabbed the ring and quickly inserted the antidote in his wristband. He used the activation element of his flames to quicken the spread of the antidote and was soon feeling better. Even Ryohei knew he'd have to let his body rest after this, it was still sore and aching all over, regardless of the antidote flowing through his veins.

Another groan of pain reminded Ryohei that his opponent was still in pain and he quickly administered the antidote to the man though hastily tied the ring around his neck, "W-what?" Lussuria asked weakly, still regaining his strength and recovering from the poison (Ryohei did not want to think about the amount of pain the older man must have gone through. Ryohei was an exorcist and so his body was naturally stronger and more durable but Lussuria was a normal human, abet an extreme one), "Why did you help me?"

"I want an extreme rematch with you fighting properly!" exclaimed Ryohei with a grin, easily ripping away the sheets for the older man, knowing the man's flames would have healed the sun enough to fight.

Lussuria grinned, flexing his muscles, testing his limits, thankful to the boy for the cure, "You certainly are a lovely boy!" he said with a blush which creeped Ryohei out slightly. Lussuria stepped down from the bed and got into his Tai Muay stance, "Very well, I'll fight you again." He had to get the ring off the boy for his boss, after all. Plus he did want a rematch.

Above their heads, two flaming bullets flew over their heads, one going to where the two storms were and the other flying to the roof.

* * *

Xanxus got up, sore and his clothes torn with his jacket left forgotten on the floor, "Not bad, mini-trash." He had no idea what was with the very _real_ wings on her back but he had a fight to win. He could always ask her later. He wiped the blood from his nose, making a note to dodge those wings where possible if the feathers could melt metal so easily.

The mini-trash smiled, looking pleased, "My thanks, though you have my apologies if I'm a little too rough. I'm still angry you see."

He could see that, while her flames were calmer than before, they still occasionally lashed out in anger. He did wonder if the girl had wrath flames like him when she first snapped but even though they held the same type of pressure that his did it was easy for him to tell that the mini-trash didn't have storm flames for that to be possible. To others it might seem similar but he held wrath flames and intimately knew the difference. Her flames were still too controlled to be wrath flames.

Still, he grinned, he knew all about using anger in battle and saw no problem with it. In fact it should be more fun this way. Aiming his twin guns at the other sky, Xanxus laughed, "Not a problem, mini-trash. It's a lot more fun this way."

Finally, the girl did something more than smile calmly and smirked. It was sharp, piercing and full of blood lust. Her eyes seemed to take a more deadly light, "I'm glad you think so." Her wings stretched dramatically before she pushed herself off the ground, charging at him.

He was right, this girl was definitely Quality.

* * *

"Yo, guys."

"You're late, baka-Dino." Reborn said immediately as he completely ruined Dino's attempted entrance, hoping to look cool, "You seem to be slipping recently, do you need some extra lessons?"

Dino paled, taking a step back. Even with Romario besides him, it didn't stop Dino's deep-rooted fear of Reborn's 'lessons'.

"You won't be able to come into the observation box, though." mused Shamal, looking at Dino who was standing at the edge of the flesh hold.

"No, we understand. Dino, the boss of the Chiavarone Famiglia, may enter with his subordinate." answered the cevello, for once doing something helpful.

Dino nodded, gratefully, "Ah, thank you." he stepped into the observation box, watching confused as he saw his cute little sworn sister fight with _wings_. He wondered why no-one seemed bothered before decided they must have already talked about it. He wished he wasn't so late, then he could know how she was doing that because _wings_.

"Why were you so late, kora?" asked Colonello.

Dino blinked, snapping himself out of his line of thought, "I was contacting Iemitsu. He seems to be making his way back to Japan now that the Ninth has been found."

"I see." mused Fon, Tsuna wouldn't be happy to hear that.

* * *

"Kufufufu, are you alright, my dear Chrome?" asked Mukuro. He had snatched the ring as soon as his sky gave permission and given the antidote to Chrome first before getting it himself. His demonic nature had easily cleansed his body of it now with the assistance of the antidote but his dear Chrome was still slightly malnourished from being under her mother's 'tender care' and so it took longer for her to recover from the effects.

Chrome got up from her crouched position, leaning slightly on her trident for support, "H-hai, Mukuro-sama. I'm getting better now."

The nogitsune fox smirked, patting Chrome gently on the head, peering over at the baby mist. The mist was panting softly in pain, sweat dripping from every bit of skin they could see. He tilted his head, curiously, watching the baby tremble in agony on the ground.

With a dark chuckle, he twirled his trident before sending the butt into the ground, summoning an illusion infused with a little bit of his kitsune powers to wrap around the Arcobaleno. With the baby's current state of mind, it easily took hold, sending the miser into a deep sleep, one full of nightmares and creatures of hell, all waiting to take a bite out of the illusionist. It wouldn't kill the mist nor would it drive him insane but it would definitely stop the mist from participating in this battle, even if someone managed to wake him.

Knowing what her other half wanted, Chrome slowly walked towards the miser and inserted the ring into the wristband, freeing the physic from the poison. The not-baby didn't even stir, he was so deep into his own mind that the miser wouldn't be able to scream from his nightmare-induced sleep. Chrome walked back to Mukuro, leaving the baby there as Mukuro wrapped an arm around her waist, "Thank you, my dear Chrome."

Chrome nodded silently, smiling up at Mukuro before both moved over to the wall behind them, watching over their sky but not interrupting. Allowing her to enjoy herself. They could feel the cloud roaming around the other areas, he'd make sure the other elements were safe so they could watch over Tsunahime without worrying.

* * *

 **And done!**

 **I'm glad no one seems to have that much of a problem with the age gap, and just to confirm again, they won't do anything with Reborn still being in his baby form. Don't worry. A guest also corrected me by saying that while Japan does have an age of consent of 13, its not really acceptable to do anything like that till people are older. Which I hoped was the case, in all honesty, but thank you for the correction as I didn't really research it but knew their age of consent was pretty young by my standards.**

 **Anyway, no cervello deaths today, but Tsuna will end up doing something, don't worry about that. I honestly just wanted to get to the fighting and hopefully get to the end of this arc so I can progress the story but they won't be forgotten. The sky battle will have a lot of perspective changes like you've seen on this chapter but it should make sense.**

 **On another note: If I do end up putting deaths in this story (and by that I mean describing it in detail -though I don't know how much detail- rather than just glossing over it) do you think I should up the rating just in case? I don't want to accidentally upset anyone by putting something like that in here when they weren't expecting it because its not marked as a M rating but I think the rating I've got should be okay regardless. Let me know, guys, and I might change it just incase. Keep in mind I might not do anything like that but I just want to make sure either way.**

 **Anyway, enough of that. Thanks for reading, and the reviews, and see you next time!**


	32. Chapter 32

Chapter Thirty Two

 _Chrome nodded silently, smiling up at Mukuro before both moved over to the wall behind them, watching over their sky but not interrupting. Allowing her to enjoy herself. They could feel the cloud roaming around the other areas, he'd make sure the other elements were safe so they could watch over Tsunahime without worrying._

* * *

Xanxus dodged a wing before deflecting a fist with his gun and aiming a shot to give himself some room. Tsunahime jumped back, narrowing evading the bullet, her fists still blazing brightly. Xanxus smirked aiming his guns at her again but at the last second changing his target, sending two bullets off to aid his guardians, which was all the time he had because Tsuna was suddenly in front of him. He smirked, "You don't mind, do you? You did help your element before."

Tsunahime punched, following it with a swift kick, aiming for his head, "Not at all. I just think that I shouldn't let you have too much time to recover." she didn't sound the slightest out of breath.

He blocked both attacks, firing some bullets, "You're surprising honest." he said.

The sky blocked the flame attacks with her wings (Xanxus would _really_ like to know how that was possible because his flames' main strength was its destructive ability yet the wings didn't even seem damaged yet, despite having blocked more than a dozen of his bullets), "I do not think there is much point in lying if I could die soon anyway." she replied, calmly.

Xanxus laughed before continuing his assault.

* * *

Basil watched the sky battle confused, wasn't Xanxus and Tsunahime supposed to be enemies? Because where he was standing it really didn't look like that to him. The two were managing to have a normal conversation in the middle of their fight! Lady Sawada was really angry at the start of the battle but now she looked pretty calm. She seemed to be getting calmer as the battle got more and more intense, which didn't make any sense at all! "Lady Sawada doesn't seem to be taking this seriously…" he muttered.

"She looks pretty focused to me, brat." replied Shamal, Dino nodded at his side, agreeing. Just because he was clumsy most of the time didn't mean that he was inexperienced, Reborn made sure of that.

Colonello nodded in agreement, "Psychology is half of the battle in a fight. If your opponent thinks they can't win then they won't."

"So they're trying to psych each other out by acting like the other isn't affecting them?"

"Well, I'm sure that part of the reason." conceded Fon, petting Lichi absentmindedly.

Basil showed a confused expression, trying to think of another reason why Lady Sawada would want to waste time and energy when her guardians are all in pain or fighting. Seeing his expression, Reborn bluntly said as if speaking to a child, baring restraining from rolling his eyes, "She's enjoying herself."

Basil startled, "B-but-!"

"Tsunahime's elements are able to take care of themselves," cut in Fon with a serene expression. One of those elements were his nephew after all and he'd gotten to see each of their strengths at least once, being in Tsunahime's company, "Tsunahime knows this and so is focusing on her own battle."

Colonello narrowed his eyes at Fon, "You sure seem to believe in the kid's guardians a whole lot to say you hardly even know them."

Fon continued to smile, never faltering once, "What makes you so sure that I don't know them?"

Colonello blinked, surprised, turning slightly to get a better look at the other Arcobaleno, examining him. Hm, Fon's and that kid's cloud guardian's appearance did look similar… Colonello was about to voice his suspicions that they might be related before seeing the storm's expression. His smile looked as calm as ever but his eyes held warning.

…

On second thought, it wasn't worth potentially risking his life for his mild curiosity. Besides asking such a question out in the open could be dangerous. Any family or close friends that the Arcobaleno had left were closely protected incase some mafioso got some big, stupid idea.

Still, even if Fon was related to the strange, animalistic cloud, Colonello remembered him being defensive of the kid's sky, which didn't make a lot of sense. He could understand wanting to keep the sky safe if Hibari was her element (an element losing their sky was never a pretty thing. The element in question always self-destructed, some violently in crazed denial or some drowning in their unending sorrow) but that shouldn't force Fon to openly defend the kid. Not for a ridiculous reason like Shamal attempting to flirt with her at any rate.

The rain Arcobaleno didn't even want to touch upon the subject of Reborn (who was, by far, the one most vocal in their disdain of skies, mostly because the sky ended up with a mental trauma the size of Mt. Everest if they even attempted to draw the sun in… or the sky ended up dead. It depended on the guy's mood, really. Only the Vongola line ended up avoiding those fates. Colonello thought it was because Reborn respected the eighth boss, when she was alive, and the ninth. He also secretly thought that maybe Reborn was hoping to find a sky one day and the Vongola tended to be the strongest skies around) doing the same as Fon.

They acted like they harmonised with the brat which was just stupid. Sure, she had strong flames but she couldn't be _that_ strong, could she? Plus she already had a sun and storm, both of which were fighting in the sky battle.

Though she had two mists so maybe…?

Colonello shook his head. No, Tsunahime managing to bond with both Fon and Reborn was impossible, not to mention ridiculous.

* * *

Hayato grunted softly as he willed his demonic energy to eat through the poison. It wasn't going as smoothly as he hoped because he was only a half demon and therefore didn't have as much power as Hibari's blood would have for example. That meant he was working on using his storm flames to disintegrate the poison with his demon blood. Sadly, that was also slow going because of the strength of the poison and the fact that he could potentially destroy more than just the poison. Like his organs, for example.

So, yeah.

Hayato was doing this as carefully as he could (he supposed he could have retrieved his ring, even in his condition, but he didn't want to risk Belphegor getting it, using in his wires, and curing himself while he was like this. He wouldn't be able to defend himself very well). And if being careful meant he was also slow at it, so be it. He'd never live it down if he fatally injured himself after trying to heal himself. At least he was doing better than the other storm at the moment. The self-proclaimed prince was currently withering on the floor in pain. Hayato sort of (but not all that much) felt sorry for him.

That pity vanished though when a blazing bullet crashed into the storm pole, destroying it. The ring fell in Belphegor's direction which the brat soon realised as the knife user was soon healthy enough to stand up, the antidote having been injected into the human's system. Hayato was too focused in making sure his flames didn't accidently burn him from the inside out, that he couldn't react in time to intercept the ring.

Note to self: Do not try and disintegrate poison while in the middle of a battle scenario unless he had gotten better control of his flames and could fight at the same time.

"I'll just leave the bomber guy there to die from the poison." Belphegor laughed to himself in dark delight, throwing the ring up into the air tauntingly as Hayato growled at him (he was so going after that guy once he had enough strength to walk steady, Hayato needed to repay him from last time anyway. The brat was just making it worse for himself, Juudaime had given her permission to let loose, after all) before the so called prince started to look around, "Alright then, what's next?"

Unfortunately, Belphegor was nearly thrown to the other side of the hall before he could make his decision. He dodged on instinct rather than thought, landing in a defensive crouch. The ring he was taunting Hayato with, flew out of his hand and ironically enough, landed in front of Hayato.

Not one to waste a chance when he got one, Hayato hastily took the ring and cured himself. He sighed in relief when he could actually feel his limbs instead of burning pain. The dog demon looked up to see Hibari standing over Belphegor, his tonfa already out. The prince gritted his teeth in annoyance, as he looked up at the cloud. The cloud that completely dominated his ring battle and actually challenged his boss.

"Hn, you dodged that pretty well," the wolf allowed, staring down at the storm who dared to harm his pack member. Sure, the other Varia members did the same but this one actually went at Hayato with the intent to torture if Alpha was to be believed (and she would never lie about something like that), which was _unacceptable_ , "You are the so-called genius?"

* * *

"What on earth…?" gasped the cervello, surprised. They obviously haven't been paying attention to the other battles apart from the sky battle if they didn't realised Kyoya was completely fine since the official start of the sky battle, "What happened to the cloud guardian's pole?!"

"Hibari struck it down and cured himself." explained Reborn with a smirk.

"Impossible! The Death Hitters poison is so lethal that even a wild elephant would stop in its tracks…"

"It's the persistent power of a guy who hates being restricted in any way. That is why he is the aloof, drifting cloud who protects the family from an independent standpoint, and whom nothing can never bind!" Honestly, Reborn thought that even without his demonic abilities, Hibari would still be able to fight off the poison. He was sort of terrifying that way… not that Reborn would ever admit that to anyone, of course.

Fon smiled, a pleased glint in his eyes, proud of his dear nephew.

* * *

Tsuki watched lazily as a flaming bullet hit the lightning pole and sent the ring in the lightning hair's direction. Said lightning hair's expression lit up when he saw the ring (and therefore his cure) falling towards him.

Tsuki smirked as she jumped and, using her vampire speed, captured the ring that was falling in the air before landed smoothly on Leviathan's head, making the head smash into the hard floor and knocking him out. She stared for a long moment in silent disbelief, "Well, that solves that problem…" she chuckled awkwardly, stepping off the unconscious man, reaching down and inserting the ring into the guy's wristband before reclaiming the ring. Luckily, it seemed that the lightning had a hard head because she didn't accidently kill him. Giving him the antidote so he didn't die of poison seemed like a good apology for probably giving him brain damage...

Tsuki slipped into the shadows, quietly making her way to the main arena where she could feel the two mists and the sun. Maybe if she was quiet enough no-one would notice how she accidently knocked the lightning officer out… Seriously, that was a lame way to win a fight, she wanted to play complex mind games with her opponent or something more exciting, not step on them!

It didn't look like Leviathan would be getting up anytime soon...

* * *

"Dog," called Hibari as he continued to stare at Belphegor, the prince had yet to move, seemingly caught in the other's gaze. Like a rabbit would be in the gaze of a wolf's, Kyoya though with a satisfied smirk.

Hayato grunted, lighting a cigarette (he needed one after all this and he hadn't even fought yet), "What?"

The wolf glanced at his pack member from the corner of his eye, "Go find the deceptive carnivore." he ordered, cooly. Hayato 'tched' but followed the order. Takeshi was, out of all of them, the most human in physiology. His sword allowed him to ignore pain and increase his reflexes and strength but it did nothing for his immune system. Damned sword-freak, always needing his help. Hayato may want to beat the ever-living crap out of the arrogant brat but his family came first which meant making sure the rain didn't go off and do something stupid, like dying. Despite, his fellow demon canine could dish out a beating when he wanted to.

Hibari turned his attention to the 'prince' before him once more, seeing his pack member follow his order, "Shall we begin, little genius?" blood lust coated his voice with animalistic delight hidden in his eyes.

That seemed to snap the storm out of his daydream because he soon straightened, his usual cocky smirk plastered onto his face, "Oh, I know you too. You're the ace, right?"

Kyoya smirked, "Wrong. You didn't even get one syllable right." He was a carnivore and even then he wasn't the strongest. That honor went to Alpha. Something he didn't mind admitting as Alpha was worthy of his acknowledgement and had earned her place as the strongest in the pack long ago.

"Shishishishi, what a weird fellow." the boy laughed, bring out his numerous knives as the wolf raised his tonfa, "But somehow, I think I'm going to enjoy this!" The knives hung around him in mid-air, appearing as if they were floating around him. The Prince grinned.

"You do acrobatics too?" Kyoya asked, not really wanting an answer. The moonlight reflected off the wire, letting him see through the trick before the moon got covered by some clouds and they disappeared, "It doesn't matter. I shall bite you to death!" He launched himself at the human teenager, tonfa glinting dangerously.

Belphegor grinned, sending his knives to surround his opponent, all pointed at him. Kyoya didn't seem all that bothered though, his eyes could easily keep up the speed of the knives and he deflected them all easily, "There's no point in attacking with so many."

Belphegor's grin widened and Kyoya stilled just in time, feeling a sharp wire barely touching his cheek, stopping blood from being drawn, so he used his wires to not only direct his knives but to attack as well, "Oh, you have good reflexes but that won't help you~" cackled Belphegor, throwing more knives at him, forcing Kyoya to move in order to defend himself.

He scowled as the wires bit into his skin and he stumbled back, fighting to keep standing. He growled threateningly. The wolf refused to transform to fight against a human and so dealt with having a human-like body. Blood dripped from his face and arms, cuts all over his body.

He dropped his tonfa.

Belphegor smirked, walking towards the wolf, "Shishishi, and the genius wins~ Then again, I don't lose, do I? Because, I'm a prince." he aimed and threw some more knives, wanting to finish off the cloud properly.

Kyoya's head snapped up, a fierce scowl on his face as he caught the knives in between his fingers, foolish prey, thinking that he was de-fanged merely because he dropped his preferred weapon. Kyoya preferred to attack with his tonfa, of course, but he was far from helpless if he didn't have them on him, he still had his claws if he needed to use them, "Did you think I would lose to a pathetic animal that relies on cheap tricks to win?" he growled, baring his canines, wanting nothing more than to beat the prey into oblivion. He was, however, satisfied that the not-quite-herbivore had gotten closer to him, it meant this would take less time. Though it didn't speak much about his survival instincts, even the most stupidest of prey knew not to approach the predator, "If that's how you want to hunt, then…" The cloud picked up his tonfa again after dropping the knives, releasing their hidden compartments. Chains fell from inside his tonfa, clanking together, producing faint noise. He twirled them at an impressive speed, "I'll just have to knock every single wire down." The wires pulled at his skin, cutting deeper into his muscles some more before finally snapping, unable to dig in any deeper. The storm was sweating now and Kyoya could smell his fear, realising who he had just antagonised. Serves him right, thought Kyoya viciously, the not-herbivore thought he could trap him?! Kyoya's very soul refused to be caged by anything yet this boy attempted to do so anyway, "Are you ready?" taunted Kyoya, his smirk widening into something truly feral, anticipating bloodshed.

Belphegor dodged out of the way as the wolf charged at him, his chains destroying the wall (the other walls in the building weren't made to be as durable as the main arena walls as no fighting should be happening in the corridors, though they were stronger than average, they could hold no resistance against Kyoya) that held the knives, "I'll pass!" Belphegor shouted, dodging out of the way again, "I don't mind bleeding my own blood to get into my serious mode but this isn't the time nor place for reminiscence. This is a group battle, you know? I'm off to get the other rings." He began the run off but Kyoya followed, swinging at him with a chain, "Besides giving you that much damage is enough to consider it my victory." With that Kyoya's prey scurried off (like a pathetic herbivore, Kyoya's mind whispered. Maybe he thought too early when he thought the storm was nearly a carnivore. No carnivore would run from a fight).

Kyoya scowled, slowing his movements so his chains would stop safely, "All that talk for nothing." he said, annoyed, though he wasn't too worried about letting his prey escape. He'd only run into another member of his pack and he doubted he'd be strong enough to go up against them. Not when he ran from Kyoya when the wolf had just started to look forward to the fight and letting loose a little bit. Still the herbivorous storm reminded him that this was his Alpha's battle and he'd like to watch her fight. It wasn't often Alpha let herself fight and enjoy it, though with the carnivore baby around that was slowly changing. Kyoya was thankful for that as Alpha was truly at her best when she was fighting. Thinking about Alpha fighting, reminded Kyoya to ask for one later, it had been awhile since he had gone up against his sky.

The dog should be enough to keep the deceptive carnivore from dying and the annoying fox would be fine as he had the small animal (who was getting stronger as time went on despite being a small animal) for backup. The loud herbivore was in the same area as the mists, if Kyoya remembered correctly, so he'd be fine as well and the vampire was old enough to look after herself. Kyoya doubted Alpha would be in a position to help them given who she was fighting (not that they needed help but Alpha tended to worry about the pack regardless). He hoped Alpha destroyed the chain restraining the not-herbivore so he could be a carnivore again. No carnivore should be chained like that. Plus, he'd get someone new to fight afterwards.

Kyoya sighed quietly, watching his purple flame lick at his wounds, speeding up the rate of his healing by using the propagation trait of his flame. He continued to watch, satisfied as his wounds closed up and his flames increased his blood cells to the normal quantity. Fighting while disguised as a human was a lot of trouble. If he was even in his half-demon form the wounds he sustained wouldn't be as bad and he wouldn't have needed to stop and heal himself.

The wolf swung his tonfa, testing if they were still working as they should before setting off in his Alpha's direction, hoping he hadn't missed too much.

* * *

Tsunahime smirked, pushing herself further as Xanxus sped up, his grin had yet to leave his face and Tsuna felt the same way. At the back of her head, she felt her elements' flames start to stabilize which allowed her to focus more completely on the battle she was fighting. Tsuna trusted her elements to be able to take care of themselves without needing her aid but she couldn't help but worry sometimes.

They were fighting in the sky now, equally matched (Xanxus using his flame as thrusters to keep him in the air), having broken the roof and each flying outside for some more space and Tsuna was loving every moment of it. Sure, it was dangerous and deadly and she could die at any time… but she belonged in the sky. It was in her blood, quite literally, so this type of battle was something that got her adrenaline pumping through her veins, "Hey, mini-trash!" Xanxus shouted, opposite her. She tilted her head and watched silently as the man aimed his guns at her once more… but something was different now, "Don't die." And with that, Xanxus unleashed his attack. His two guns fire rapid shots at her, all of them seeming to merge into a single gigantic bullet of burning reddish-orange flame, "Scoppio d'Ira!"

Tsuna's eyes widened for a moment before grinning excitedly, summoning her own flames to coat her wings. Tsuna didn't bother to move out of the way or even attempt to dodge. No, for such an attack, it was only right to face the first one head on, to gauge its power for herself. Her curled her wings in front of her, shielding her body with them, still channelling flames into them as the attack hit her dead on.

It took her breath away as she strained against the onslaught of pure soul-flame, tightening her wings around her body, protecting it as much as possible. Even with Tsuna using her half-phoenix form she was still knocked off balance and sent catapulting into the hard ground beneath.

* * *

"W-why isn't Lady Sawada moving out of the way?!" shouted Basil in confusion and panic, watching as Xanxus' attack grew closer and closer to the unmoving figure that was Tsunahime.

"I think she's planning on taking the attack head on, kora!" exclaimed Colonello in disbelief.

"B-but that's madness!" screamed Shamal and Dino with wide eyes. That was his little sister in front of that attack!

"We know, kora!"

Reborn and Fon could only watch with their hearts in their throats as Tsuna, their _precious, long awaited sky_ , grinned (looking more that a little crazy with the attack speeding towards her) before the blazing inferno of bullets and flame hit her, sending her crashing into the ground. They went still, completely still, tensing so much they nearly forgot to breathe as smoke stopped them from seeing what condition their sky was in. They knew she was alive, (she had to be, Reborn would bring her back to life only to shot her dead again for doing something so stupid before bringing her back again and keeping her away from anything that could threaten her well being. Being the paranoid bastard that he was, Reborn could think of a lot things to put on that list), she was a phoenix and they didn't die easily, but they were still new to the bond and their instincts were everywhere, telling them to completely _destroy_ the one who shot her and wrap their sky in figurative bubble wrap in order to protect her. Something both knew Tsuna would not appreciate as she didn't like to be treated like she was weak.

They couldn't help it though.

All the other elements could fight in the sky battle. All their fellow elements were in a position where they could protect their sky, fight for their sky.

Except them.

After this whole thing was over, Fon and Reborn was going to need to talk about the things what one should do in battle and what one shouldn't do in battle. Intentionally taking an attack head on was firmly in the latter category and would never be moved under any circumstances. Even if Fon knew that doing so in the supernatural community when you were in a position to dodge (and Tsunahime definitely was) meant you took that person seriously and respected them (Kyoya's personality just made him take attacks head on regardless of his opinions about them. If the wolf respected someone he'd state it to make it more obvious or do something that showed his respect).

"At least we know why Kyoya is so willing to follow Tsuna's lead." Fon muttered, trying to calm down and relax his muscles, Reborn doing the same besides him (the hitman was subtlety clenching his gun, knuckles white, not that Fon was much better. Under his sleeves, he had gripped his arms so tight that he might've drawn blood). Taking a powerful attack head on was a 'carnivorous' thing to do according to his nephew.

Reborn grunted softly in agreement, finally letting his gun go and trying to relax.

They were _so_ going to chew Tsunahime out for this stunt.

* * *

The phoenix coughed, shaking the rubble from her form as she stood back up. No doubt she was covered in dirt and dust now. Her flame proof clothes that Leon that painstakingly made were slightly ripped and torn at the edges(Tsunahime made a mental note to apologise to the little chameleon) but thankfully still mostly intact, her wings took the brunt of the force. Said wings were completely fine. They were made of flames so flames couldn't hurt them, at least not type of attack anyway. She had heard stories of some phoenixes having their wings ripped off but she didn't know whether that was true of not and merely thinking about it made her shiver in fright so she tried not to. Outside of falling, the attack didn't harm her too much though she probably had many bruises. She was sure that would be different if she didn't have her wings and clothing to shield her.

"Impressive, mini-trash, you survived." praised Xanxus and it actually sounded genuine too. He was hovering above her and Tsuna easily took flight again, using her sun flame to heal any damage done to her body as quickly as she could.

Tsunahime smiled, "My thanks. I can see why you were named leader of the Varia, that attack is truly something to behold." she acknowledged in turn, gaining another grin from her opponent. She had a feeling that wasn't his most powerful attack either, which just made things better.

Still, she couldn't keep holding back against an opponent like this. She slipped a hand in her pocket and pulled out a bracelet. It was made of a durable metal. It looked almost Egyptian in style, the bracelet wrapping around her forearm easily, like a snake would but it didn't hold any snake-like markings. The bracelet was pretty simple looking, nothing too fancy but not too plain either, having simple designs etched into it. The metal was stained a colour similar to her hair or wings when in phoenix form.

Tsunahime slipped the bracelet on, under the curious gaze of Xanxus who was gracious enough to stop attacking, wanting to know what she was doing. Channeling her flames into the metal made it glow a bright white for a moment before transforming. The shape twisted and straightened before curving slightly at the ends.

The light died down to reveal a beautiful long bow. Unlike the bracelet, this was definitely something to look at. The bow seemed to be made out of liquid fire. It almost looked like lava but it was too orange and bright for that, as well as lacking any molten rock. The outline of the bow was a lot more solid, having a red colour, giving the weapon a more defined shape with yellow flame flickering around it before disappearing and appearing somewhere else on the bow. The string of the bow was also made out of the yellow flames. There was no arrows, however, to accompany the bow.

* * *

Basil stared at the bow, confused, "I thought Lady Sawada only used her fists to fight with."

Reborn nodded, "I was training her to use a certain technique but found, in the middle of the process, that the bambina was unable to complete it. Instead, I had Leon make her a weapon. This was what he made." And that was true. Reborn had Tsuna try and learn the Primo's technique but found that the nature of the technique was so different from her own nature that she physically couldn't complete it. Not only was she trying to turn her flame into ice (a strange, off-putting prospect for her on its own) but she had to go into the minus state of the Dying Will. To enter this state, the bambina needed to put out her flame first. Something that was impossible for her to do.

Reborn was quite shocked to realise that Tsunahime was, technically, always in a Dying Will state. She had said that her flames constantly burned but he didn't think it meant that. The only way her flame would be put out was if she died. Needless to say, Reborn soon dropped that training idea when she mentioned that. Luckily, Leon was more than willing to make a weapon for Tsuna to wield (the little green chameleon felt left out that he hadn't been able to make a weapon beforehand, wanting to help the bambina become stronger like Reborn was doing. He swore that Leon liked Tsunahime more than he did Reborn because he once woke up to see Leon napping on Tsuna's hair rather than his fedora, which he had never done before). The tricky part was making sure she could use it effectively but as a phoenix (or more technically, a bird) she had good eyesight so aiming wasn't much of a issue so long as she knew how to aim.

He did find ironic that her weapon looked pretty plain though still tasteful when in its bracelet form though when it transformed looked a lot more striking and colourful than before. Tsuna's human and phoenix form was similar.

* * *

Xanxus smirked, "Well, its looks pretty, I'll give you that, mini-trash." he taunted.

Tsuna returned his smirk with a smile, "It does more than look pretty, I assure you." She breathed out, lifting her long bow and pulling the string back to her cheek. Using her flames, she summon a flaming orange-yellow arrow into existence, "Xanxus," she called and waiting till he looked at her instead of examining her new weapon. Tsunahime gave a faint smirk, "Don't die." she mocked, echoing his previous statement, letting the arrow loose. The arrow sliced through the air and seemed to summon a few dozen arrows more that traveled at the same neck breaking speed, all of them clustering together.

Xanxus grinned, lifting his guns and firing round after round of bullets at the approaching flaming arrows, destroying some of them after hitting them a couple of times. He wasn't fast enough to completely destroy them all though and the flames soon engulfed him, sending him crashing onto the roof below.

* * *

 **And that's the chapter done!**

 **Haven't got much to say here apart from saying that the inspiration to make Tsuna's bracelet in an Egyptian style was due to the fact that, Ra, the Egyptian god of the Sun (who was later merged with Horus, the god of the _sky_ , earth and underworld in some later depictions) was depicted as having the head of a falcon. I felt that because Tsunahime was both a sky and a bird, it would be pretty cool to put that it there.**

 **Once again, thanks for the reviews! See you next time!**


	33. Chapter 33

Chapter Thirty Three

 _Xanxus grinned, lifting his guns and firing round after round of bullets at the approaching flaming arrows, destroying some of them after hitting them a couple of times. He wasn't fast enough to completely destroy them all though and the flames soon engulfed him, sending him crashing onto the roof below._

* * *

Laughter sounded from the smoking pile that Tsuna's attack left when Xanxus when rocketed down onto roof. It was near hysterical, the laughter. Tsuna's lips twitched, amused, as she flew further down and used her wings to blow away the smoke.

Xanxus was there, laying on his back, spread out like a starfish, laughing his head off boisterously, a grin stretched wide on his face, "You seem to be enjoying yourself." she said, needlessly. Really, he should have broken ribs, at least, at this point, along with other injuries but that man didn't even seem bothered. Though, he might be used to that sort of pain with his line of work or maybe he used his flames to shield himself at the last moment. If that was the case, then Xanxus should still had bruised ribs. Her flame was too strong to completely protect against, not at the last second.

"And you aren't?" he asked, standing back up, gripping his guns in both hands.

Tsuna smiled, "I don't believe I said that."

Xanxus snorted with amusement, "My turn now, mini-trash!" he lifted both was guns and charged them up before firing, "Colpo d'Addio." The attack seemed to be a stronger version of his previous one. As he charged the attack with both of his guns, there was two flaming clusters speeding towards her instead of one.

"The thing with those type of attacks is that they take too long to charge." Tsunahime's voice came from behind him as his instincts screamed at him. Turning quickly, he jumped up and used his flames to fly, narrowly avoiding the arrow sent at him.

* * *

Takeshi laughed in a carefree manner, ecstatic, as Squalo gritting his teeth in pain, "Voi, would you stop that?!"

"Haha, sorry, sorry! I'm just happy!"

Squalo would've sighed if he could. As it was, the pain rushing through his veins stopped even that at the moment. The katana-brat seemed to be ignoring it but the brat hadn't really moved or tried to get the ring so Squalo thought the brat was in the same amount of pain as he was.

Even if he didn't look like it.

Frustrating brat…

Both swordsmen were leaning heavily on their pole, sitting down, and while Squalo did attempt to attack the other at first, he soon found it pointless. He was in too much pain to really do any worthwhile damage and the brat could move out of the way. Though not a great deal. He seemed to be able to ignore the poison but it was still affecting his body and so his body refused to cooperate with his commands.

Squalo clutched his side, really wanting a sun right now to heal him (or better yet, the cure), feeling the poison slowly spreading, "Voi, what have you got to be happy about anyway? We're both poisoned with so much poison I wouldn't be surprised if I started coughing it up."

Takeshi laughed, agreeing with that statement, "Because my sky is enjoying herself."

The older rain grunted, calming down slightly at that, feeling the same emotions flowing from Xanxus. He hadn't felt Xanxus this happy since, well, he couldn't really remember. It had been a long time, regardless, "She doesn't seem the type."

"Tsuna is actually quite bloodthirsty when she gets into a fight." Takeshi corrected, "Besides, its not like I'll die from this."

"Voi, what makes you think that, you shitty-brat?!"

"Sword-freak, you still alive?" shouted Hayato as he turned the corner, only to stop in disbelief. He was expecting the Varia rain to be shouting insults towards his fellow element, not having a goddamn chat with him! "What the hell are you two doing, chatting like a pair of old women?!"

"Voi, it's not like I could do anything else, brat!" Squalo shouted before panting for breath. Shouting took a lot out of someone who was poisoned apparently. Takeshi merely laughed besides him. That was all the brat did. Fucking brat.

Hayato bristled defensively, about to tell the other rain to shove it but was interrupted by Takeshi, "Haha, could you get the antidote for me please? I can't really move." The dog demon clicked his tongue in annoyance but did get the ring, giving the rain the antidote, "Thanks!"

Hayato blushed, hearing the genuine gratitude in the rain's voice, something he still wasn't quite used too no matter how much time he spent with his family, "Whatever, Sword-freak." he chucked the ring to Takeshi, who caught it easily, shouldering his bamboo sword as he stood up.

Takeshi went over to Squalo and cured him of the poison, without thought.

A moment passed before...

"Voi! What are you doing?!"

"What the hell, Sword-freak?!"

Both Hayato and Squalo shouted together, in annoyance and surprise respectively. Takeshi laughed, scratching the back of his head (they really sounded similar...) as Squalo stood up cautiously, watching the two, his sword-arm in front of him, "I told you. I want Squalo as a sparring partner." Takeshi explained.

"We're fighting his boss at the moment, Sword-freak!" Honestly, what went through the cursed sword wielder's head? Did anything go through it or was it goddamned empty?

"Voi, relax, shitty-brats!" Squalo exclaimed, "I'm not going to attack you… this time."

"Really?" sarcasm was heavy in Hayato's voice.

"The katana-brat saved me from getting eaten by a fucking shark and you got rid of the poison. I might be a goddamned killer but I repay my shitty debts." he waved his sword around to prove his point that he could have killed them but haven't... yet.

"See? It's fine, Hayato!"

"That's not the issue here!"

Takeshi turned to Squalo, "We're going to watch Tsuna fight, you're welcome to follow."

This time Squalo did sigh, damn brat made no sense, "It's not like I have anything better to do." Besides, he wanted to see if Xanxus was looking as happy as he was feeling and he was curious about the mini sky, who could instill such emotions in his boss when he was normally wrath incarnate.

* * *

Ryohei grinned as he dodged a knee before blocking a punch, throwing his own out in retaliation. Lussuria blocked it but Ryohei didn't really care, he was having an extreme fight! Lussuria went at him with full strength from the start and was surprised when Ryohei could keep up but didn't falter in his assault.

Ryohei had long ago abandoned his sling, which he had to fake his injuries. Lussuria wasn't too surprised about that. The lightning battle showed them that the completely unknown kids could use flames. Which shouldn't really be possible. Unlocking your flames wasn't uncommon but it wasn't common. Using them, on the other hand, was _rare_. The fact that the Varia could use them is one of the things that set them apart from the other assassin squads in the mafia. It was what give them an edge.

The most common way to make flames useful instead of merely active was finding a ring that was made to help channel and direct your flames, helping the user learn how their flames felt so they could use them. Said rings were both rare _and_ expensive. So expensive that Mammon, who's fortune was as big as it was unknown (which meant huge) would pause before buying them. They would have heard if someone managed to find and buy a whole set of them. That sort of thing would never go unnoticed. Which meant the kids somehow unlocked and made their flames useful… on their _own_.

Sure, the Varia officers did it as well (and so did the Arcobaleno but that went without saying) but they were as far from normal as someone could get. The fact that some group of kids could just appear out of nowhere and wield their flame so carelessly was unnerving and, quite frankly, _terrifying_.

Oh, but that wasn't Lussuria complaining.

Oh, no.

He was going to enjoy fighting this boy.

* * *

"Oya, oya, what's this? A little mouse wondering into our trap?" taunted Mukuro, watching as Belphegor ran into the main arena, leaning on his trident, almost lazily. The boy looked around confused for a moment before he saw Mammon on the floor, sweating (the Arcobaleno baby couldn't scream but his body reacted to the stress his mind was under).

"Mammon!" he shouted, running over to the baby, shaking his small shoulders with one hand as the other clutched his knife.

"I-it's no use." informed Chrome, at Mukuro's side, "He won't wake up until this battle is over."

Belphegor gritted his teeth, scowling and glanced over to the sun side of the arena. Both suns were completely focused on their fight and didn't look to be stopping anytime soon (Lussuria didn't even seem to notice him run in). He wouldn't be getting any help from that area. He looked back at the two mists (there was the lightning there as well but she looked half asleep as it was, so that didn't seem to be a problem at the moment). Dokuro Chrome was holding her trident to her waist, body nearly wrapped around it in a shy manner, half a step behind Dokuro Mukuro while the male mist was smirking in his direction, looking down at him. Like the mist thought he already won. Belphegor glared at the blue-haired man, who saw it, despite his fringe.

"Kufufufu, no need to look at me like that. If I'm right, you've already encountered our resident wolf. Are you sure you're fit enough to fight both of us?"

"Shishishi, everyone knows mists are physically weak." he replied, not really knowing why they would call the cloud a wolf but seeing the resemblance now that it was pointed out. He threw his knives at the girl, knowing she was the weaker one of them both. He'd have to pick them apart if he had any chance of winning. Chrome didn't even move as Mukuro's trident twirled in front of her, deflecting the knives, they stabbed the ground uselessly.

"Oya, oya, that's not very nice." Mukuro said, his tone held a hint of malice, changing his red eye to the four kanji, the Path of Demons, mist flames burst forth from his eye. Chrome summoned multiple illusions of Mukuro as he ran at the storm, confusing him.

Wide-eyed, Belphegor jumped back, gaining more distance to throw knives at his opponents. His knives flew through the illusions harmlessly while Mukuro deflected the knife with his trident once more. By this time, Mukuro was already in front of Belphegor and swung. His trident sliced the others arm as the prince dodged late, "Weak, are we?" the fox mocked.

Belphegor gripped his injured arm in pain (since when did mists physically fight?!), he was already tired from fighting that demonic cloud and now he had to fend off this mist as well. This really wasn't his day. He suddenly doubled forward, spitting out blood, as he looked down at the bloody trident blades cutting through his stomach, "W-what?" he was in so much pain and shock right out that he couldn't even enter his stronger state when he saw his blood.

"You shouldn't forget about other people in the middle of a fight." entoned Chrome as she pulled her trident from Belphegor who collapsed on the ground, face first, a pool of blood soon surrounding him. The boy coughed up blood once again before closing his eyes and lying still.

Mukuro patted her head, "Well done, my dear Chrome." he praised, proud of the progress his other-half was making. His eye returned to normal.

"Thank you, Mukuro-sama." she beamed, a small, soft smile gracing her face. They turned to watch the sky battle on their wristbands once more now that no-one was interrupting them.

Behind them, the pool of blood disappeared with a shimmer and Belphegor, while still lying on the floor, appeared to be sleeping instead of dead. The cut on his arm remained, however.

Honestly, entering a room where, not one mist was but _two_ , and not checking for a mist territory before attacking was an amateur move.

Tsuki, who was leaning against the wall, yawned, completing ignoring everything going on around her with practiced disinterest.

* * *

Ryohei continued to grin as he traded blows with Lussuria, he would have kept up this pace but Mukuro interfered.

He watched with a frown as the sun opponent (his opponent!) fell into a heap on the floor, not expecting an illusion and unable to fight against it when he was so focused on Ryohei (not that he would have been able to fight against if he was expecting either. Mukuro wasn't a well-known criminal in the mafia, not matter how incorrect his supposive charges were, only because he was brilliant at taunting people… Though that probably had something to do with why said mafia was so eager to catch him).

"That's not very extreme, Pineapple-head!" he exclaimed, crouching down to examine his opponent.

Mukuro's eyebrow twitched at his nickname but otherwise didn't comment on it, attempting to look unaffected, "Bossu's battle is going to be ending soon, don't you want to watch the ending?" asked Chrome. Ryohei's anger deflated at the sight of Chrome, who he looked at as a little sister and therefore couldn't be angry with. Ryohei thought about it for a minute before nodding, though he picked up the older man and carried him to where Mammon and Belphegor were lying asleep. Leviathan was also there, thrown haphazardly over Belphegor once Mukuro asked Tsuki to get the lightning, wanting them all in one place so he could watch them. The women didn't really care about making sure they were comfortable.

"Pack." acknowledge Kyoya, as he came into view.

Mukuro smirked, "Look, dear Chrome, our little Kyoya-chan has come back from his hunt."

The wolf growled at him, already showing his tonfa and fully prepared to launch himself at the annoying fox, "Haha, calm down, guys. We want to watch Tsuna, remember?" Takeshi laughed as he entered the main arena, Hayato and Squalo at his side.

"Voi, what the hell?" Squalo shouted, looking at his fallen comrades.

Hayato clicked his tongue, "Quiet down! They're asleep, idiot." he couldn't smell enough blood for them to be dead, though some did look pretty beaten up, Lussuria having multiple bruises forming. Though the dog wondered what Tsuki did to her opponent for the man to have such a lump on his head but no other visible injuries on him.

"Voi, shut up, you shitty-brat! I know that!" he said, swinging his sword around, not really intending to hurt them. He had a debt to repay and he was surround by the other brats, it'd be suicidal to attack one of them now, not when the other officers were down for the count and possible hostages.

Hibari growled at them, hitting both over the head with his tonfa. The fact that, while it did hurt, it didn't knock them into the ground said that he didn't do it to start a fight but rather shut them up, "Quiet. Alpha is fighting."

Both of the victims glared at the cloud but went silent because both of them did want to watch the battle, "M-maybe we should go up to the roof for a better view?" suggested Chrome, Mukuro could make real illusions to carry the Varia officers with them.

Her suggestion was met with sounds of agreement.

* * *

"Who the hell _are_ you, mini-trash?" question Xanxus as he fended off the continuous assault of arrows that the other sky created.

Tsuna blinked, summoning a more powerful, larger arrow and letting it loose as she dodged a bullet flying pass her, "What do you mean? I am Tsunahime or 'mini-trash' as you seem so adamant to call me."

"You know what I mean! You and your brats appear out of fucking _nowhere_ yet you can stand up against us, against me! That's fucking unheard of, mini-trash!" Truth was, Xanxus was getting frustrated. Oh, he was enjoying the battle (and feeling lighter than he had in goddamn years) but the fact that Tsunahime was fending him off, nearly fucking winning was _impossible_. It shouldn't be possible. Yet here was the mini-trash, casually doing just that! He was glad that the trash wasn't a goddamned idiot or a weakling but she _should_ be!

The information that Mammon got about the kid was from the CEDEF. Yes, he knew that Iemitsu was a fucking man-child but the CEDEF information gathering skills were impressive (though that was only due to Lal Mirch keeping the organisation together. No one knew how or why the failed Arcobaleno dealt with the idiot). Not as good as Mammon's abilities but still good. The official file made by the mini-trash's own father said the girl was a timid, weak ass girl. The mini-trash wasn't weak nor timid. In fact, the only thing right on the file was the damned gender of the kid. How was Iemitsu so wrong about his own fucking daughter? Than again, said daughter did say that Iemitsu tried to seal her as a child so obviously they weren't close. Something Xanxus didn't mind. The man was a Idiot, with a fucking capital letter.

Xanxus avoided the arrow, knowing better than to waste bullets trying to destroy it and shot at the trash in frustration. Tsuna smiled, she had a feeling that most of the mafia would be feeling the same way as Xanxus once she became known, "I, and my Own, are strong because we wish to protect our family. If that means we have to slaughter everyone in front of us, so be it."

Xanxus laughed, "Fucking trash!" his voice sounded genuinely happy underneath the usual roughness of his voice, (most people who said that bullshit loving crap was fucking weak but the mini-trash wasn't. He knew she'd back her words up with blood if it became necessary) as he fired a round of bullets at Tsunahime, which she deflected with her wing easily. He wasn't deterred by this and used his Bocciolo di Fiamma attack. Smoke consumed Tsuna's position but she wasn't in there as two arrows came flying towards him from behind. One pierced his shoulder, burning, and the other pierced through the chain Xanxus was wearing, causing his half of the sky ring to begin its descent to the floor. Seeing this, Xanxus ignored the pain running through his shoulder, the arrow still burning, cauterizing the wound, and stopped channelling his flames at his feet so he began to free fall. He plummeted to the ground, hand outstretched, reaching for the ring, only for another hand to come into view and snatch the ring away from his grasp.

"Sorry, but no one can beat me in the sky." Tsuna said as she connected the two rings together, winning the battle. Xanxus was so shocked he continued to fall but Tsuna flew down and caught him before he could crash, gently lowering him to the roof, which they were fighting above.

Xanxus coughed, standing as Tsuna stepped back, pressing a hand to his wound. The arrow disappearing now that the battle was over, "You win, mini-trash." He was pretty sure he had a couple of broken ribs, not to mention numerous bruises on nearly every part of his body. He hadn't had that much fun for a long fucking while.

"Not easily, you were a difficult opponent."

Xanxus hacked out a laugh as he tried to regain his breath, "I better fucking be."

"Alpha." Tsuna turned from Xanxus, keeping half an eye on him as she looked upon her wolf standing before her. Her other elements were slightly behind the wolf with the other Varia officers behind them, sleeping for some reason. Though Squalo was awake and shouting at Xanxus, having ran up to him, gesturing wildly to the man's shoulder wound. In Kyoya's outstretched hands were the six other rings, all whole.

Tsuna smiled at him gently, feeling the pain aching through her limbs slowly begin to fade as her flames tried to heal her as much as possible, "Thank you, Kyoya, and everyone else as well, of course. Is everyone alright?" she asked as she accepted the complete rings, putting them on her chain securely. Her elements nodded and after checking with her flames, she turned back to Xanxus, whose second-in-command was still shouting at him. Her lips twitched with badly hidden amusement, "Is this okay, Xanxus? You don't seem overly bothered about losing the ring battle." because while she did win the right to the rings, Tsuna had come to respect the Varia boss. He had gone through a lot for these battles to take place, even trapping the ninth and, probably, putting another in his place, though that could be a more personal grudge driving that action.

Ryohei came up, hands alit with his flame but Tsuna shook her head, "Can you heal Xanxus' shoulder first please? My own sun flame is doing a good job at healing me for the moment." The exorcist frowned at the thought of not healing his sky but conceded to her request and moved over to Xanxus.

"I don't need any healing, mini-trash!" Xanxus frowned.

"Yes, I'm sure your shoulder agrees with you." Tsunahime replied drily, looking at the burnt wound, "Let Ryohei heal you then we'll wake your guardians up." Xanxus grunted but agreed when Tsuna promised to wake his officers up. The baby-trash was still sweating in his sleep but he would have died by now if the poison was still in his system. Ryohei moved away, finished with healing Xanxus shoulder and only his shoulder (Tsuna didn't say he had to heal anything else and he didn't want the man fully healed incase he wanted to pick another fight) before moving back to Tsuna, helping her own healing along. "Mukuro, I believe you have something to do with the Varia officers' current state."

"Kufufufu, I have no idea what you're talking about, darling."

"Then, do you mean to tell me that Mammon is trapped in a nightmare of his own making?"

"... Your intuition is terrifying…" Mukuro finally said, releasing the mist not-baby and the others from their forced sleep. They stirred and woke up with a start, Mammon more so. The Arcobaleno actually jumped up into the air, floating, and looked around wildly with an ashen face before processing that he was still in the arena and settled. The baby, tellingly, avoided looking at the fox, who was laughing, as happy as could be, in the background since the mist awoke. Tsunahime sighed, seeing the mist baby's reaction before firmly putting the topic in the I-don't-want-to-know category.

Seeing their boss, battered and yet not attacking the other sky, all the Varia officers took up offensive positions, "Stop that, trash. I've lost and the rings are with the mini-trash."

"Boss?" they peered at him, confused, but slowly lowered their stances. They expected Xanxus to be more, well, they expected him to be a raging ball of fury but their boss seemed to accept his loss, which was just _strange_. Because Xanxus never accepted losing and he never accepted it quietly. Then again, they could see that the boss was… fond (maybe?) of Tsunahime. Which they were too, to a certain extent. She wasn't a manipulative fool like the ninth and nor was she a childish idiot like Iemitsu (she was supposed to be related to that idiot? This was probably the first time they genuinely felt sorry for someone. Not even they would make someone suffer that fate) so that was a win in their book.

Xanxus couldn't answer though as the cervello and the rest of the people watching the battle came up to the roof. Reborn and Fon instantly jumped up to the group, Fon landing on Takeshi's shoulder (who subtlety went closer to their shared sky. Fon smiled in appreciation as Takeshi laughed back) and Reborn on Tsuna's. Both using their flames to check over Tsunahime, who smiled and covered them with her own soul flame in reassurance.

The cervello looked over the two groups, or more specially the seven rings around Tsuna's neck and announced, "The ring battle contest has ended. We will now announce the overall result. Since Xanxus-sama has lost both his battle and his half of the ring, the winner of the sky battle is, Sawada Tsunahime!" Her elements smiled at each other, silently celebrating that fact while Xanxus' guardians (who still didn't really know why their boss was so accepting of all this), frowned, "Therefore, the next successor to the Vongola is Tsunahime-sama and her six elements!"

* * *

 **And done!**

 **I wasn't really happy with the ending of the battle (I changed it like three times) but I didn't want a massively flashy ending. Xanxus and Tsuna don't hate each other and they're having more of a friend fight than a till-the-death sort of thing so I didn't think it would fit, having a no-holes-barred ending. On the next chapter I will explain in more detail why Xanxus isn't massive upset with his lose. He's annoyed with it (his character won't let him take a loss easily) but he has a much better relationship with Tsuna, so it sort of overrides that.**

 **Once again, thanks for the reviews, the Varia arc officially ends next chapter!**


	34. Chapter 34

Chapter Thirty Four

"Well done, bambina." congratulated Reborn as he patted her head gently. Tsunahime smiled happily at him as the cervello bowed and jumped away (after promising Tsuki that everything would be fixed by tomorrow), their job complete. Tsuna didn't really care about the cervello and let them go, they had been passive-aggressive all week. Plus, they hurt, _poisoned_ , her elements, if they stayed any longer, Tsuna refused to be responsible for what would happen... and she had a lot of things to do before she could _deal_ with them...

"I'm leaving now, kora!" called Colonello, having seen what he wanted to and pretty tired considering how late it was and the current state of his cursed body. Ryohei waved back, knowing he'd see the military man at his house in the morning if he didn't see him when Ryohei went back. Shamal following the rain Arcobaleno with a half-hearted wave in their direction. He didn't really want to try anything with the (now official) heir, Reborn's reaction still fresh into his mind. He liked his life.

"We'll be going too." said Dino, gesturing to himself and Basil, "We've got some things to take care of."

"Oh? Anything I should know about?" Tsuna asked, knowing that 'things to take care of' usually involved the mafia, it would be good to keep as well informed as she could despite not being offically introduced into the mafia just yet, though Reborn's and Fon's contacts would probably warn them if anything bad was coming. It was better to be extra careful, nonetheless.

"Master is coming back to Japan so we've got to prepare." answered Basil with a smile while Tsuna frowned faintly, so _he_ was coming back and here she was hoping that maybe he could have stayed across the sea, far, _far_ away from her.

Dino took her frown to mean that she was worried about her father and grinned in a reassuring way, "Don't worry, little sis, we'll take care of it." and with that they soon left too.

She turned to Xanxus, not wanting to think about the idiotic man when she should be happy about winning, "Now that they are gone, do you mind if you could confirm a theory for me, Xanxus? You don't have to answer if you do not wish as it is only idle curiosity driving me to ask." Reborn looked at her, flames slightly confused, and Tsuna reminded herself that she had yet to tell her family of her suspicions.

Xanxus grunted, having a feeling about what the question may be but nodding anyway, his own guardians were confused and it would probably clear up some things for them, even if he was a little worried about how they would take it. Not that he'd never admit to worrying, "Ask away, trash."

"Your anger towards the ninth… does it, perhaps, have something to do with blood relations?" she asked getting to the point, but veiling her question enough so the leader of the Varia could get away without answering and his Own wouldn't know what she meant, without digging into it at least. Mammon could probably find it out because he had more contacts in the mafia than Bat did and a lot of reputation to throw around.

Xanxus wasn't surprised by the question (the mini-trash seemed to have gained the respect of two of the Arcobaleno, so she had to be clever) outside of the initial shock, he figured it was the famed Hyper Intuition that all Vongola had driving her in the right direction to ask, "How'd did you find out, mini-trash?" Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the shitty-shark frown, not in confusion but in realisation. Did the damned shark already know?

"Ah, it was a couple of things though I only put it together when I saw Timoteo in the Mosca." she started, eyebrows furrowed in thought, "I assume you put a double in the place of the ninth when you took him but the explanation that he wrote to explain the sudden change in heirs felt wrong. 'Timoteo' said that 'his intuition became sharper with old age' but that _doesn't_ happen. The strength of the intuition is based on how strong the vongola blood is that you possess, it cannot become more powerful but you can become more experienced with it. Everyone who had and will have the intuition knows this. At first I just thought that he changed his mind and wanted an heir who had already been in and seen the mafia in its entirety but wanted an excuse that I wouldn't object to. Which makes sense. I am just a civilian so wouldn't know about these things." She firmly ignored the round of snorts that everyone gave that comment. Both from her Own and Xanxus' Own, "Then I saw the ninth in the Mosca and that explanation suddenly made sense because someone without the intuition wrote it and therefore wouldn't know about the specifics. But you must have told them what to write which meant that you didn't have it either. Except..."

Reborn blinked, realising what she was saying as his reputation within the Vongola family allowed him to know some secrets and details about the Vongola, one of them being... "Everyone apart of the Vongola line has had the Hyper Intuition, even if they only have shown hints of it." he finished, looking at Xanxus again and wondering why he didn't see it before. The ninth and Xanxus looked nothing alike. They shared not one feature with each other. Tsuna nodded, confirming that was where she was going with her explanation.

Xaxus was impressed. A feeling he didn't get very often but seemed to feel a lot when he was near the mini-trash. To be able to get to that conclusion from a single slip up he made the first time they saw each other was impressive even if her intuition probably helped her along. His guardians were currently looking at him, completely lost, "Is that true, boss?" baby-trash asked.

"Yeah, me and the old man have no blood relation whatsoever." he laughed, bitterly, anger in his blood red eyes. The mini-trash would be a strong boss but he still grew up thinking that seat would be _his_. He couldn't get rid of that bitterness straight away.

"Then you could never become the tenth." stated Mammon, annoyed. Sure, Tsunahime was good enough but he wanted _Xanxus_ on the throne. The other officers sharing his sentiment. They didn't really care about the whole adoption thing, though it would have been helpful to know before they started the ring battles. They didn't follow Xanxus because of who he was related to but because of how strong he was. Blood didn't decided that and so they didn't care.

"Ah, that's where I'm a little confused." admitted Tsunahime, "I understand that blood means a lot in the mafia but surely an exception could have been made if the only other viable heir was a unknown civilian?"

"Nah." Xanxus denied, relaxing unnoticeably when his guardians didn't rise any complaints, none pulled away from him, "That shitty ring is blood locked and they're needed to show the next successor of the Family. No one but someone of Vongola blood can wear it." Xanxus looked up, sharply at her, "Don't get me wrong, mini-trash, I came to Japan fully intent on killing you, blood locked ring or not." He refused to have Vongola _weak_. He'd easily risk his own life, trying to keep Vongola as strong as it should be than let a weak-ass kid take over it. Luckily, Tsuna wasn't weak, so he wouldn't need to worry about killing her. There was a reason that he stayed in the Vongola covering their arrogant tracks, making sure no one knew how _weak_ and _stupid_ they had become. They were his family and Family, they took him in from the streets and while he hated the ninth, he owned Vongola for that at the very least.

Tsuna smiled, amused, knowing the truth in that statement and not overly bothered (because while he might have been intent on killing her then he obviously didn't care about killing her now) even as she saw her family tense, Kyoya baring his teeth for a scant second in warning while Hayato growled besides him. Really, they weren't trying to be subtle, were they? At least Fon and Reborn were trying even if she saw them both twitch at the perceived threat.

Still, a blood-locked ring? That was a really outdated way to choose the Head of a Family. The supernatural abandoned that method centuries ago. It was unreliable when sometimes the blood ran too thin or the child took after the parent married into the family instead of the head (if both was a different type of demon, for instance, then the child would take after one parent. This made their genes and therefore their blood resemble that parent more than the other, sometimes confusing the rings. It always resulted in a stillborn if the child took after both of them so evolution stopped that from happening a _long_ time ago. It didn't stop some deprived idiots trying to experiment with the idea however). Though, she wondered where the Vongola got their hands on blood-locked rings. Maybe Talbot knew. He made them when they were still popular so he might know the maker of them, then again he hadn't really been to the human side of the world of awhile, "Is there a reason why they are blood-locked?"

"Voi, shouldn't you be surprised that rings can tell apart different types of blood?!" Squalo shouted. Huh, the loud rain was surprising perceptive.

Tsuna shrugged, playing it off like it wasn't a big deal, "It's not the first time I've heard of blood-locked rings, though you don't see them around that often nowadays."

"Muu, it is said that the rings hold power sealed within them. Reborn, you're paying for this information." Mammon explained, Reborn's eyebrow and hand twitched in response, "The previous successors are said to be able to hand down that power once they accept a new successor."

At the same time, she heard Squalo whisper/shout, "Voi, who _is_ this girl?!"

Tsuna looked at the ring curiously before shrugging, uninterested. She really didn't need anymore power than she already had. She was quite young in both supernatural and human terms (despite being classed as an adult in supernatural society) so any more power she could want would be something she'd grow into. Besides it wasn't very interesting to just be handed power without needing to earn it. She'd get lazy.

Thinking about powerful rings… She looked back up, "Talking about rings reminded me, Mammon could you please come to Kyoya's house in three days time?"

"Why'd do you want the baby-trash, mini-trash?" asked Xanxus, still confused over the lack of reaction the rings' power and purpose inspired in the future boss of the Vongola.

"Well, I'm sure you remember, during Chrome's battle, I mentioned some things about seals-"

"About sealing the curse? Yes, I remember." interrupted Mammon, floating up to the sky's level, the interest in the conversation visible in the way he cut into Tsunahime's sentence. Fon and Reborn perked up, looking at Tsuna with the same interest the mist had.

Tsuna wasn't bothered about the interruption even as Kyoya growled annoyed by the baby's manners because she knew this was an important and sensitive topic for him, she nodded, "I've been researching the curse for some time with two other people. It just so happens that they've informed me that they have finished the seal and made six of them. They'll arrive in about three days so I wanted to let you know and invite you to get yours once I recieve them."

Mammon blinked behind his hood, going still for a moment, feeling shock running through him. Years upon _years_ of research got him _nothing_ but a chain that merely concealed his presence from the others. Then this girl shows up and just _happens_ to know just the right people (people he couldn't find or even knew _existed_ ) to find a way to seal the curse, "Muu, I'll come." he couldn't quite could his suspicions out of his voice.

The phoenix smiled anyway, "Xanxus and the other officers are welcome to come as well, of course." Mammon relaxed slightly at that, feeling better now that he had back up should he need it. He hoped he wouldn't because he dearly wanted this to be _real_ , "I'll need to let the other Arcobaleno know that I've got a seal for their curse as well." Tsuna turned to Fon on Takeshi's shoulder as Reborn was already on her's, "Do you think you two could get the rest together? I'd rather not ship them out to different parts of the world incase someone finds them who shouldn't. Ryohei could you let Colonello know, please? I honestly forgot to ask him with everything that's been going on."

"Of course, Tsuna!" shouted Ryohei with an enthusiastic fist pump.

Fon nodded serenely while Reborn said, "I'm sure I could… _persuade_ any that are reluctant."

Tsuna sighed, "Please don't make it seem that I'm threatening them into coming. I'd rather not have people titled 'The World's Strongest' after me." Reborn merely smirked as a reply.

Tsuna sighed again, resigning herself to her to whatever fate Reborn deemed to throw at her, and turned back to Mammon, "If you could, please turn up around noon." Gaining a silent nod, Tsuna stretched, her muscles still sore from the fight, "Now, if you don't mind I think I'm going to bed." She smiled tiredly at Xanxus, "I loved fighting you Xanxus, and I wouldn't mind doing it again, but I am definitely going to be feeling it in the morning." Xanxus give a snort of amusement as Tsuna gave a small bow, "Hopefully, I'll see you and the rest in three days time, goodnight Xanxus."

"You're way too fucking polite, mini-trash." was his response as he turned to leave before pausing for a second and giving a wave as he went.

* * *

Tsuna gave a yawn as she walked into the manor, Kyoya nodded a farewell as he walked ahead and into his room. She was balancing the two Arcobaleno on her shoulders, Fon having transferred as soon as they were out of sight of other people. The two stuck close to her, their flames cocooning her as they surrounded her own. Reborn's hand wrapped around the nape of her neck, a comforting pressure, and Fon's grip on her shoulder, a reassuring one. Tsuna allowed herself to bask in their flames, a soft smile settling on her face, utterly content at the moment.

Fon and Reborn shared a smile/smirk as they watched their shared sky come to a stop in the hallway, apparently too caught up in feeling their flames around her to continue walking, a contented smile on her face, her eyelids falling shut. Her own sky flame coming out to wrap around their own.

Now, normally, Reborn wouldn't interrupt this. He took a lot of pride watching Tsuna bask in his flames like she hadn't felt them before but well, he was still annoyed from earlier and promptly smacked the bambina around the head. He ignore the pang of regret as Tsuna's eyes flew open, jolted from her previous activity of basking in their flames and let out a small, near silent yelp of surprise. He and Fon needed to make this clear after all and it was best to do it as soon as possible.

"R-reborn?" she asked, rubbing a hand over the place he hit her briefly. He hadn't hit her hard enough to cause actual, lasting pain, just enough to surprise her. Annoyed he may be but he couldn't intentionally hurt his bambina. Fon frowned slightly, not liking the way Reborn gathered Tsuna's attention but didn't comment. He, too, was annoyed. Reborn and Fon hopped down to the floor and Tsuna tilted her head curiously but followed, sitting on the cool surface, "Did I do something wrong?" she asked, seeing the frowns on both of their faces.

Fon nodded, frown still present, "Xanxus' attack, you took it head on despite the fact you could have dodged."

Tsuna gave a frown of confusion, Fon should know that meant she acknowledged the other but she began to explain anyway, "In the supernatural commun-"

"We don't care." cut in Reborn, eyes shadowed with his fedora, Tsuna blinked, still very much confused.

Fon tried a smile, it came out sad and weary, "We cannot come out as your elements just yet and so we are unable to defend you as one. We couldn't participate in the sky battle. We couldn't fight for you or even show our worry-" Fon cut himself off, feeling himself getting more frustrated as he began to list just how many things they couldn't do openly. He took a calming breath, trying to settle himself.

Luckily, Reborn took this as his chance to take over, for once not leaving someone in their frustration alone, "You took on that attack and we could do _nothing_ to check if you were okay, if you were _alive_ , apart for standing in that damned observation box. You will not do something like that again." Reborn ordered, a promise in his voice to make sure it was fulfilled whether Tsuna agreed to it or not.

Finally understanding, Tsuna nodded, her smile dimming completely once she realised the pain she made her elements go through because of her thoughtlessness. Her flames easily wrapped around the two, willing them to see just how remorseful she was, "My apologies," she whispered, feeling her eyes began to get wet with tears that she refused to shed, "My most sincerest apologies, I-I do not think that-"

"It's because we know that you didn't think that I haven't shot you yet." Reborn interrupted, almost hastily, Fon's panicked flames mirroring his own as they saw the state Tsuna was in, "If you were to do that again, however…" he trailed off meaningfully, Leon turning dutifully into a gun, not liking Tsuna's actions anymore than they did.

Tsunahime nodded her head, quickly, "Of course!" she reassured, "I will not do that ever again. I truly didn't think that-"

"We know." soothed Fon, his flames purring with delight at how much their sky was troubled by the fact that she had caused them pain, however unknowingly, even if he didn't like seeing her troubled normally, "We're just making sure that you know if you were to do something like that again…" Fon's eyes glinted with a silent vow, "We will make you unable to walk outside the house without the numerous security measures we will think up and given our occupation, it'll be a _long_ list."

The phoenix gulped and nodded her head hastily, completely sure that threat would be followed through with.

* * *

Tsuna yawned as she stretched, blinking wearily as she tried to get the sleep out of her eyes. She looked around, confused, when she saw Reborn missing. Usually they woke up at the same time, or rather Reborn woke her up to do some morning training, but he wasn't anywhere in the room.

Tsunahime rubbed her eyes as she blindly reached for some casual clothes before heading for the shower and getting dressed, frowning slightly when she pulled on a sore muscle. Maybe she should go to Ryohei for some more healing? Her sun flame gave some passive healing when she wasn't directly using it but she was covered in bruises from last night so her flame was busy healing the more serious wounds that Ryohei hadn't had the time to get to after the battle, Tsuna ordering her elements to bed. After getting dressed in some comfy blue jeans and a pale sleeveless orange top, making sure to wear her new bracelet, Tsuna went about her usual morning routine before heading to the kitchen.

"Finally up, bambina?" asked Reborn, sipping on some coffee in the connected living room, Fon was outside in the garden going through some morning exercises with I-Pin following his instructions. Lambo and Futa were probably still asleep.

Stepping into the kitchen, she called out behind her, "You could have woke me up, Reborn." before smiling, seeing there was already some tea made and she waved her thanks to Kyoya, who was sitting in the far corner of the kitchen, his own cup of steaming tea in his hand. He grunted but otherwise didn't respond. She smiled, amused at him. He had never been a morning person. She absentmindedly stirred her tea, adding a little bit of sugar, as she looked outside the window. Today felt like a lazy day.

"You deserved a lay in considering you won last night." he responded as Tsuna walked back in the living room and sat down on the opposite sofa, "Though, we're going out today."

Tsunahime tilted her head curiously, "Oh? Where are we going?"

"A party."

Tsunahime smiled, "Ah, it's been a while since I've been to a party. Where is it?"

"Everyone is gathering at Takeshi's house later on."

Tsuna finished her tea and got up, "I'll go wake Lambo and Fuuta up then."

"Have you got your ring on you?" Reborn asked before she could leave the room.

She paused for a second, thinking as she hummed, "I think I left it upstairs in our room somewhere." she didn't sound too sure about that.

Reborn sighed, sounding long suffering, "It's important, bambina. Don't go losing it after you just obtained it and make sure to wear it at all times."

"Of course, Reborn." Really, those rings were a lot of trouble. They looked way too flashy for her taste. If it was important why did it have to look so shiny and unique that every pickpocket within a mile radius could see it? Still, she supposed she should keep if it safe, if only because they went through a lot of trouble to get it.

Like her elements getting poisoned.

She really needed to find out where those cervello people lived...

* * *

"Is this truly necessary, Tsuna?" Fon asked, worried. The party had lasted throughout the evening and night and now it was the following morning.

(All of them had enjoyed the time spent relaxing and having fun. Even Kyoya was there... sitting in the furthest corner away from everyone, growling at anyone that even looked in his direction. Ryohei's sister and her friend, Hana, had been invited as well. Of course, it wouldn't have been a party without it dissolving into chaos. _Surprisingly_ , please note the sarcasm, it was Mukuro picking a fight with Reborn -aka a contest to see who can cause the most chaos in the least amount of time- and Reborn being _Reborn_ was more than happy to participate. He defended his unofficial title of Chaos Bringer with dark glee).

Tsunahime had gotten this _marvellous_ idea about visiting the ninth when she woke up the following morning of the party. Maybe she had too much to drink last night that it was still affecting her, thought Fon, though he couldn't remember Tsuna drinking a whole lot. Reborn was sat next to him, the rest of the family (minus Tsuki as she was busy with reorganising the arena, making sure everything was in order and running correctly, and she will probably be busy for awhile because of it) dotted around the room, looking at her like she has gone crazy. So, thankfully, Fon wasn't the only one thinking about how bad of an idea this was.

The ninth was the one to willingly seal her. To go back to the person who was so close (too close, _far too close_ , for their liking) to taking away her life merely because her own father couldn't be bothered to spend some time training her and used some half-arsed excuse about protection couldn't be good for her mental state. And neither was it good for their mental state as they would be constantly worrying and feeling the urge to _rip apart the man who tried to take away their precious sky_ … even if she wasn't their sky at that point.

"I understand your hesitancy, Fon, but I feel like I need to do this."

"And why is that, bambina?" Reborn was at least willing to hear her out and, well, he was an ally to the Vongola and so could attend the meeting anyway to make sure nothing got out of hand. Not that he thought it would, Reborn was aware of how controlled Tsuna could be. He came waltzing into her life and declared her the new head of the family, whose own head basically tried to kill her (whether he knew that or not). Tsuna was the epitome of calm. Though Iemitsu was likely to be there as well, the man having just come out of hospital and was now in Japan as the ninth was now strong enough to receive visitors. Iemitsu seemed to be a very big button when it came to Tsuna's anger not that Reborn could blame her (it was _Iemitsu_ ).

"I am officially the heir of the Vongola. It should make sense, then, that I try and understand the thought process of the current Head. I am unable to do that at present. His… negligence of certain matters are strange to me." When she was fighting Xanxus, she could feel the echoing loneliness of his flame which had turned into scornful fury. It was distant and so wrapped up in his flame that Xanxus probably wasn't even aware he felt that way (nor would his guardians see it as it seemed to have been there a long time, longer than they would have been bonded). It spoke of rejection and a shunned boy with a Family too big yet with no one willing to pay attention to the boy they just adopted into their ranks. It wasn't as bad as it could be, thankfully, which meant Xanxus had someone when he was a child in the Vongola but children needed more than one person to care for them when they were growing up and in life in general.

Tsuna did not like the picture it painted. She was well aware that Xanxus was now fully grown adult and probably outgrew the feeling (or maybe it was so familiar to him he no longer registered it) and accepted that it wouldn't change. Hence the scornful anger bit. She knew that Xanxus didn't need her interfering, he probably wouldn't appreciate it, but Tsunahime did not like the fact that once upon a time the Vongola Family (the Family that preached bonds, and Family coming before family) neglected a child under their care. A child that they willingly adopted. They took on a _responsibility_ to _take care_ of that child. A responsibility they _ignored_. Tsunahime liked children and always had a soft spot for them so that fact that Timoteo _neglected_ his own child, even if they weren't connected by blood…

It made her want to _rage_ , to demand answers and retribution.

She couldn't do that though. Xanxus was no longer a child and he didn't need to be babied like one. Not when he fought tooth and nail to get to where he was today. So while Tsuna couldn't react on her feelings about that fact without his approval, she could get some more information about it. She hoped that Timoteo did it unknowingly and while it wouldn't calm her, it would certainly make things better for the old man because she wouldn't need to show her… disapproval in a very violent manner… These thoughts passed her by quickly, Tsuna dismissing them, knowing if she kept thinking about them her feelings would bleed through the bonds she had.

Fon nodded, understanding that she was referring to herself and Xanxus' situation. Really, the storm didn't know why the current boss of the Vongola didn't just _tell_ Xanxus when he was old enough to understand and before he based his whole life on the presumption that he would be the next head. It would save a lot of trouble and cause less bloodshed in the process, "There is a chance that the ninth had no real reason or excuse for his actions." he cautioned.

"I am well aware of that fact but I would like to be sure before having any stronger opinions about the man I will be working with in the future. Regardless of his answer however, I can not say I will ever like or agree with his past actions or even the man himself."

"Haha, you're not going alone are you?" Takeshi's stance clearly indicated that it wasn't really a question and she would be taking someone with her whether she liked it or not.

She smiled at him, knowing she wouldn't be able to leave the house without agreeing, "Of course. Reborn would be coming as my tutor and I was thinking that Hayato might want to accompany me?"

Hayato perked up at his name, "M-me, Juudaime?"

"Of course. Reborn tells me that it's your dream to become my right hand I don't have a problem with that. This could be some good experience for you, you'd need to keep your temper under control though."

Hayato's eyes widened as he lost control of his emotions and his dog ears and tail appeared, wagging happily. Nobody even blinked at the appearance. They had long accepted the fact that Hayato couldn't seem to control himself when it came to Tsunahime. Hayato, himself, didn't even seem to notice his new appendages as he was far too busy thinking. He didn't think he'd ever be able to become Juudaime's right hand! Hibari had his claim to that spot, being the first of Tsuna's elements, regardless of the fact that traditionally storms were the right hands in the mafia, and Hayato had respected that. Even if he didn't really want to. Plus there was the fact that Fon was also a storm and would be the better option, being far more experienced than he was. Hayato was more than happy with merely being apart of Tsuna's sky and family so never brought it up. To think that Tsuna already knew, and was more than happy to allow Hayato the absolute honor of being her right hand man. Juudaime was _amazing_!

Hayato snapped out of his hero-worship before he got lost in it (once he lost a full day contemplating how wonderful Tsunahime was. Though it wasn't really wasting the day if he spent it thinking about Juudaime), to ask a question, "What about Hibari, Juudaime? He was the first of your elements."

Tsuna's eyes softened, he'd truely come a long way, asking questions and not being afraid of upsetting her or doing something wrong in the process, "While there is no doubt that Kyoya is my beta," Kyoya preened at the title his Alpha gave him, smug despite himself, "he isn't exactly a people person as I'm sure you're aware. He prefers to protect the pack from the shadows instead of always being in the open as a right hand in the mafia would be. Saying that, I wouldn't mind if you came along as well, Kyoya. I'm sure with three people with me, everyone can rest easy."

Kyoya nodded his agreement, more than happy to attend as the rest of his pack relaxed slightly at that. The pack knew he was uncompromising when it came to Alpha's safety. Who knows, maybe there will be some insubordinate herbivores who needed to be shown their place. He dearly hoped so.

* * *

 **And cut!**

 **That's a chapter done and we're officially pasted the Varia arc now! This chapter was pretty much a list of the things I will need to do before starting the next arc along with some other things I haven't mentioned yet.**

 **I hope the insight to Xanxus' reasoning wasn't OOC or at least it wasn't massively OOC as my Xanxus is less fire and fury than the Canon version, or at least he is less angry at Tsuna specifically as we will she Xanxus getting angry at some point in the story. This Xanxus is more open, at least to himself, about his loyal to the Vongola. He loves the Vongola, it's both his family and Family but hates the ninth. The only real problem he had with Tsuna was the fact that she was going to be the next heir and because she was inferred to as weak on the file he got from the CEDEF. These two problems were sort of connected because his pride wasn't going to let him take orders from a weakling and a weak boss meant a weak Vongola. Xanxus is bitter about the whole 'can't be the heir' thing but he's not an idiot. He knows he's not blood related to Vongola enough to be considered a heir and he can't change that and if Tsuna isn't weak in the first place he hasn't got a real reason to go ape shit crazy on her.**

 **I got a question in the reviews from** **knightessjg, asking if Tsuna was going to have a harem. She's not. Not only can I not write harems, I also find them pretty unrealistic and somewhat annoying to read if they aren't done properly (which is a very difficult balancing act to do). I've come across many Fem!Tsuna fanfics that are harems though they just seem forced to me. I get the impression that because Tsuna was a female she HAD to have a harem which I didn't really like. So no, she's not going to have a harem, sorry for those hoping for that. knightessjg, you asked the question after giving the reason that a lot of people find her attractive. It's just how I describe her. It's sort of like how I can call both genders attractive or pretty/handsome yet not be bi-sexual or interested in that person. I understand where you have come from, as a lot of fanfics make their characters attractive and give them a harem based on the fact that their pretty but on my characters I like to have my relationships based on personality rather than looks though the character might be noticed at first because of their looks.**

 **This story is a Reborn/Tsuna pairing and I can't see Reborn willing to share anytime soon.**

 **The cervello will get what is coming to them, eventually, I just can't seem to fit it in a chapter at the moment and it not seem out of place. Don't worry it'll happen, I'm just not sure when. I'll probably do an interlude before the next arc if I can't fit it in properly. If this happens, it'll be posted in between two chapters so you guys don't need to wait a full week for a short chapter.**

 **Once again, thank you for the reviews, they make my day, and next chapter we have the ninth making an appearance!**


	35. Chapter 35

**I'm so sorry guys! This chapter is a week late. For some reason, when I started this chapter I came up with a blank. I knew what I wanted to write but it wouldn't come out and when it did I wasn't completely happy with it and had to rewrite it. This is what come out in the end. I should, hopefully, be back on track though now and you'll see another chapter next week like usual.**

* * *

Chapter Thirty Five

Tsuna hummed quietly as she waited for Timoteo to receive her, standing outside the hospital door (said door was made of the highest quality wood for some reason, surely they wouldn't have made a new door merely because the old sky was recovering in there, right?). Reborn had taken care of the specifics like arranging the meeting. Timoteo was more than happy to accommodate, despite the fact that she had given such short notice, he did let Reborn know that Iemitsu was going to be there as well, however (Kyoya looked strangely pleased by that as Hayato frowned in annoyance). The ninth didn't see much of a problem with it as he was, unfortunately, her father.

The shiny wooden door opened as an old man appeared. He had long, shoulder length grey hair with several bangs hanging around his face. He also had a mustache and a steel arm. He wore a suit and tie that Tsuna was quickly being to see as the unofficial Mafia Look. Despite being old, he didn't look particularly weak as she could faintly see the muscles from the line of his suit. He had an active storm flame so Tsunahime assumed this man was one of Timoteo's guardians, "The Nono will see you now." his voice was serious and it matched the stare the man processed. She felt Kyoya shift, barely restraining from beating the male when he saw the look in he man's eyes. Like he was looking down on them despite not having met before.

Tsuna nodded, wrapping her wolf in soothing flames as the man moved out of the way and allowed her entrance. He stepped in front of her elements, however, when they tried to follow. This time Kyoya did growl, Hayato, frowning, like he wanted to do the same, "Let us through, herbivore." Kyoya demanded, a snarl on his lips.

"You will wait out here." ordered the man, who had yet to introduce himself. She saw Kyoya and Hayato bristle at that. Both were on the same wavelength about orders that did not come from their sky.

Reborn frowned before whispering in her ear, "I let Timoteo know you were bringing some of your elements. He shouldn't be stopping them from entering."

Tsunahime nodded, "Stranger-san, they are with me."

"I cannot allow too many people into the room where Nono is resting." he stated, still not telling his name despite Tsuna making it clear she didn't know him.

Tsuna frowned slightly, feeling her patience begin to thin, "Reborn has let the ninth know that I am bringing some of my elements with me. He has agreed and allowed them to come. This shouldn't be a problem. I will not talk to the ninth nor Iemitsu without them." The man scowled, looking like he was just about to say something before stopping himself at the last moment. He stepped aside. Tsunahime smiled cooly (and if it had a mocking quality to it… well, no one could prove anything), "Thank you." Honestly, she hadn't even talked to the ninth yet and she wanted to go back home.

Walking further into the room showed that it was quite spacious and more than enough room for a meeting of this size. There was only two armchairs though (and why did they look so fancy? The chair was massive, it looked like it'd swallow her whole. Then again, she wasn't the tallest person, being on the short side). The chair furthest into the room was already taken. Timoteo sat in the chair like it was a throne, at his side, standing, was Iemitsu, grinning and waving at her like an idiot. Timoteo had short grey hair with a moustache and soft brown eyes. His whole facial expression practically screamed stereotypical grandfather, smiling at her. Despite being in a hospital, he was wearing a suit and tie. Hang on, was that a _scepter_ leaning against his chair?

"Tsuna-chan, it's wonderful to see you." spoke Timoteo as she sat down on the only seat available (trying to ignore the scepter, because _what_? Tsuna knew the mafia regarded Vongola as royalty almost but she didn't think they'd take it that far). Hayato was on her right side, a step behind her chair, posture straight and proud, with Kyoya leaning against the wall, looking like he didn't really care what was going on. Reborn jumped from her shoulder to sit on the left arm of the chair, "Though I was confused when Reborn said you wanted to visit." Timoteo continued. The man that opened the door came back with some tea on a tray, he put it down on the coffee table in front of them but Tsuna shook her head silently when offered some. It may be impolite, but she does not trust any of them enough to drink anything they gave her. The man nodded, gave one to Timoteo when Iemitsu also shook his head and stood to the right of Timoteo's side once done. He didn't bother with Reborn, every time he offered before the hitman had refused.

Tsunahime nodded carefully, a bit blindsided by his familiar attitude and honorific towards her when they didn't really know each other. Maybe it was an Italian thing? Something to ask Reborn about later. She knew the language quite well but the culture was something Reborn was still teaching her about, something that was taking longer than he expected because he had also been teaching her Chinese when I-Pin started staying with the family, "Yes, I wanted to get to know you, since I am now officially the heir but first, may I introduce my elements. On my right is Gokudera Hayato, my right hand, and leaning on the wall over there is my cloud, Hibari Kyoya." Tsuna was more than a little annoyed that she couldn't introduce Reborn in that group just yet. To pacify herself, she briefly wrapped the other in her flames, secretly including him. Reborn's flames immediately responded, radiating silent happiness at her unspoken acknowledgement.

Timoteo smiled, indulgently, at her as she spoke, like he was allowing her to amuse herself but she had said nothing even remotely funny. The word patronising came to her mind as she looked back at him, "Of course, where are my manners?" he chuckled but Tsuna was unimpressed, already getting a feeling of why Xanxus didn't like the ninth, apart from the obvious neglect, her intuition ringing, "To my right is Coyote Nougat, he is my own right hand and, as you know, Iemitsu on my left, is the outside advisor of the Vongola." Timoteo smiled again but Kyoya growled a warning from behind her, he obviously didn't like the ninth either. Timoteo ignored the cloud, not thinking him much of a threat, which made Kyoya's mood even worst and in turn hers, "What would you like to know, Tsuna-chan?"

A frown finally made its way on Tsuna's face, "Please, call me Tsunahime, Ninth. I haven't come to you as a friend but as the heir of the Family." not that he knew her well enough to give her a nickname she hadn't allowed or add the 'chan' to her name anyway.

The man, now dudded Nougat, scowled again, opening his mouth, "Just because you've been picked as the next successor doesn't mean to can speak like that to Nono, brat!"

In a flash, Kyoya had his tonfa out and was behind the old man, his weapon at the man's neck, his other hand restraining the man's steel arm, "Watch your own words when speaking to Alpha, herbivore." he spat as Hayato growled, hand reaching for his dynamite already. Tsuna sighed, warmed at her family would defend her even against someone's words but annoyed that they couldn't seem to control themselves when it came to defending her, even if it was fond annoyance rather than irritation. She couldn't have the best of both worlds, she supposed.

Flying around Kyoya's head, Hibird chirped, "Prey, prey!" before flying to Nougat and pulling on the man's hair for a moment, hard enough to cause a wince. Kyoya looked over at his bird proudly, who puffed its chest out in response, chirping happily.

Iemitsu frowned, "Tuna-fish, call off your friends!"

Her smile became even more neutral, "I believe I made it clear that this was a formal meeting, and from my understanding so did Reborn, please address me accordingly, Outside Advisor. I also believe I was more than polite with my request, Nougat." she sighed, "Nevertheless, you have a point. Kyoya, please release him. We are not here to fight. The same goes for you, Hayato." Hayato relaxed but Kyoya stayed there for a moment, his tonfa digging into Nougat's neck for a second longer, making his point clear, before reluctantly obeying and returning to the wall he was leaning on. He patted Hibird on the head in silent approval before the bird flew back to nest on his head, "My apologies, they are quite jumpy when it comes to me, whether it is my pride or health they are defending."

"That's fine, most young guardians are like that. Or is it elements for you? The cervello tells me you rejected the idea of a guardian." He tellingly didn't apologise for his own guardian's behaviour. Still, Tsunahime didn't comment about that because she didn't want to create a fuss when her elements did just attacked Nougat, Timoteo's right hand.

Reborn pulled his fedora down and frowned beneath it, his flames shifting slightly.

"I do not reject the idea, I just think the title doesn't suit my elements so I don't use it."

"The title of guardian is a tradition within the Vongola Family, Tsuna-chan!" Iemitsu said, still not referring to her properly though she supposed it was a step up from 'tuna-fish'. Tsuna was never more glad for her temperament than she was now.

The phoenix didn't look at Iemitsu as she replied, "I understand that but I simply do not view the title that same way you would, plus, it seems to be less of a Vongola Family tradition as everyone in the mafia seems to call elements, 'guardians'," Tsuna shook her head, "I haven't come here to discuss that. I have made my opinion clear already, I see no need to do it again."

"And what have you come here for, Tsunahime?" Timoteo's eyes were suddenly full of sharp intent. Not a hint of the fake warmth he had in them before.

Well, if Timoteo was trying to intimidate her, he needed to try better, that was for sure. She had _Reborn_ as her tutor, after all. Tsuna met the gaze without fear and calmly replied, "I would like you know why you dealt with Xanxus the way you did."

Shock flashed in the man's eyes before they blanked. She was glad that she had gotten used to reading Reborn otherwise Tsuna would have missed the emotion. Not that it would have mattered much, his flame was an open book to her, "Dealt with?" he repeated.

"You can't deny that you led him on. You made him believe that he had the same amount of chance to the Vongola throne as your other sons instead of telling him the truth. I would like to know why."

"You have no right to question-!"

Timoteo cut in, smoothly, "Coyote, it's fine. And why do you need to know that?"

"As I said before, I would like to get to know you. What better way is there then getting to know how you think?" He was still trying to stare her into submission which was highly insulting. She had Kyoya as her cloud, who called her 'Alpha', she wouldn't be so easily beaten and it was demeaning that the man thought so. Tsuna knew he only thought of her as a civilian but after her performance with Xanxus (which would have been reported by Basil at the very least if not the cervello and probably Reborn) she expected the ninth to think more of her.

Timoteo nodded, "I see. Well, I didn't tell him because at the time there was no need to." he answered shortly.

Tsunahime frowned, "Forgive me, but that doesn't tell me anything. What do you mean by 'there was no need to'? Xanxus grew up believing he knew his place in life and you didn't think there was any need to tell him the truth? Surely, it is the duty of a parent to at least tell their son where they really came from, especially if it would affect his future." She tried to keep the judgement from her voice, she really did, but it was difficult.

"Xanxus, even back then, was full of anger. If I told him the truth, I couldn't be certain of his loyalty."

Loyalty…?

He messed up Xanxus' life merely because he could not be sure of his allegiance afterwards?! Reborn shifted at her side, Kyoya growled as Hayato twitched, his gaze turning into a glare. Tsuna's breathed out silently and regained control of her flame, soothing her elements' flames apologetically.

"And Nono was right." continued Nougat, who didn't seem to get proper conduct in a meeting as he kept speaking out of turn. As a subordinate, he should be silent until one of them directly asked him a question. Tsuna had sat down with Hayato before the meeting and gone over the proper rules that should be followed, which was why he was so quiet at the moment. Granted, Kyoya threatened Nougat but he was Kyoya. He rarely listened to rules he didn't see the point of and the man insulted her. Tsuna was surprised Kyoya wasn't more violent, to be honest, "The damned brat betrayed us and then when Nono graciously set the brat free, he turned on us again. Even putting Nono in the hospital!"

"I do not condone what Xanxus has done but the ninth did encase him in ice, away from his flames and elements while being fully conscience for eight years. It is understandable that he would want revenge." She wouldn't be surprised if Xanxus turned out a little mentally unstable because of it. Well, more unstable then what appeared to be the norm in the mafia.

"Understandable?!"

Tsuna scowled at the man, her flames stirring again slightly, "Please, lower your voice. I do not like being shouted at for no reason. Like I said before, I do not condone his actions but I can understand them. Is it not a sky's duty to understand?" she regained control of her soul flame as Nougat stared at her uneasily, his instincts telling him that this girl wasn't to be messed with.

Tsuna, however, was done with this meeting. She wanted to ask why Timoteo tried to sealed her after discussing this, why he'd do such a thing instead of just telling Iemitsu to train her (like he should have done) but it was clear that either Timoteo didn't see his actions for what they were (his flame held no guilt, no nothing, it was completely blank apart from the arrogance that seeped from it like a poison) or just didn't care. Either way, it was clear that Tsuna would never like the man and she hoped that when she took over she could just override the man. Her Intuition haven't stopped ringing at the back of her head since she walked into the room. Timoteo was _dangerous_. Whatever game he was playing, it didn't mean anything good for her.

She smiled a completely insincere smile and stood up, "Thank you for allowing me to visit, Ninth, but I believe I know everything I need to at the moment." she gave a small bow, as politeness dictates.

Timoteo smiled a grandfather smile once more, obviously not knowing about her extremely low opinion on him, "Of course, Tsunahime. I'm glad we could talk." Reborn, seeing the silent dismissal, got ready to jump back up on Tsuna's shoulder to leave but was interrupted, "Reborn, if you could stay a moment?"

Tsuna glanced at Reborn, her flame questioning and he nodded in reassurance, causing her to smile at him, "Then, I'll see you later on, Reborn."

"I won't be long, bambina. You still have homework to catch up on."

A small chuckle sounded, her beautiful sky flame curling around him, making him inwardly purr with happiness, "Of course. I shall be waiting eagerly for your return as always." she said, slightly mocking as he reflectively fired a bullet in her direction.

She laughed before saying, "Come, Hayato, Kyoya. Our family is waiting and probably worrying by now." she didn't miss a beat as she dodged the bullet easily and, after nodding to the ninth again, walked out of the room with her storm and cloud following.

Not once did she even glance in Iemitsu's direction throughout the meeting.

* * *

Reborn jumped into the middle of the chair Tsuna was sitting in, once his sky left, looking up to the Ninth, who was staring at him quite sharply as if trying to read him. Reborn mentally snorted at that, Timoteo needed _a lot_ more practice to be able to do something like that, "What do you want, Nono?"

"You seem quite close to Tsuna-chan." he stated, an inquiry in his voice, ignoring Reborn's question. A question posed by the World's Strongest Hitman. Well, if he wants to play it like that.

"She's my student." Reborn answered, shortly.

"You weren't that close to Dino." Iemitsu interrupted, a protective frown on his face. Reborn felt righteous anger well up inside of him but didn't let it show. Iemitsu had no right to act like a worried parent when he had never acted like one beforehand!

"Is there a point to all this?" Timoteo sighed, knowing he wouldn't get anything out of him. It was laughable that he even tried, Reborn thought.

Timoteo, himself, was currently thinking about Reborn's attitude to him. Reborn had never been 'friendly' per say but their relationship was one born of respect. He knew Reborn had some respect for him, mostly because he was willing on accept a lot of Vongola jobs without much fuss and didn't try to throw his weight around too much. He only really gave him that much respect when he was younger because of his late mother but over time Timoteo liked to think that Reborn warmed up to him once he became used to, and more experienced in, being a mafia boss. However, that seemed to have changed. Reborn was always blank faced but he could somewhat understand the cursed man in certain situations with the help of his intuition. He was more… distant than usual. He was less patient too. Not that Reborn was a patient person to begin with.

Well, Timoteo didn't think it mattered too much.

Not anymore.

Reborn was obviously closer to Tsuna than he expected the hitman to be, which was what mattered. Once Tsuna became the next head, he had a feeling (that was edged with his Hyper Intuition) that Reborn would make closer ties with the Vongola Family. The child, who was trying to come across as an adult, would be easy to manipulate so he'd still be in control of the Family behind the shadows (and therefore Reborn if he played his cards right). Tsunahime was only a civilian. Trained by Reborn or not, it wouldn't change the fact the she would feel uncomfortable in the mafia, unused to the amount of violence and bloodshed that went hand in hand in the underworld. She'd seek his tutelage and Timoteo would be more than happy to _encourage_ certain ideals would be more suitable for his Family.

It had to be this way. Tsunahime, no matter how well she handled herself in the ring battle, wouldn't be able to survive in the mafia. She could destroy everything that he had worked so hard to create. Timoteo refused to let that happen so he'd interfere before it could happen. He'd have to be sneaky about it, however. Reborn wasn't stupid and would be able to see through his pretty words for what they were if he caught Timoteo tutoring Tsunahime. His Hyper Intuition was quick to ring in his head, giving him a warning. No, Reborn couldn't know but he could be worked around.

He may be the greatest hitman in the world but Reborn wasn't omniscient.

The girl's guardians were overprotective (today's meeting was telling enough) but they were still only children (he'd need to look into that lightning guardian. She looked strong and she'd be more experienced in these sort of matters, having run of a fighting ring. He also wondered why he didn't know about the fighting ring in Narimori or why Iemitsu didn't know, considering the man's family lived in the same town but ultimately didn't care. It couldn't be very successful if he hadn't heard of it, even if it was quite large, building wise). He could easily build up their trust so they couldn't see through his grandfather act. Trust blinded even the strongest of people, so he wouldn't need to worry there. Tsuna didn't seem to suspect any ulterior motives apart from disagreeing with his actions regarding Xanxus. That was easily fixed. As Tsuna spent more time with Xanxus, she'll see just how violent the Varia leader was and stop defending him.

Timoteo smiled, nothing betraying his thoughts but Reborn still had to fight a foreboding shiver. His instincts honed from years and years in the mafia told him, screamed at him, not to trust that smile and he was more than inclined to agree, "Tsuna-chan seems to be quite strong for a girl her age. Her use of flames is also quite unique. You mentioned in your report about Tsuna-chan being unable to use the Zero-point Breakthrough?" he asked.

Iemitsu, startled, shocked at the information but Reborn hardly bothered to pay it any mind, he was already feeling Tsuna's lack of presence and wanted to get back as soon as possible. He really couldn't be bothered with answering either Iemitsu or Timoteo at the moment but he knew he must. And so, Reborn nodded, "She can't transfer out of her Dying Will state." he knew straight out lying to the ninth was stupid so he'd have to get creative and misleading with his answers if it was needed.

"What?!" Iemitsu shouted, shocked, "That's impossible. No one can be constantly in a state of Dying Will!" Nougat was also voicing his agreement the man's outburst, nodding his head. That was ludicrous. For that to be possible… there should be side effects. Her body, for one, would be tearing itself apart. There was a reason that the body could only be in that state for five minutes at the beginning states. The body needed to get used to the strain, which is why you needed to train in it, so the body could get used to it.

"Her flames refuse to be put out. Tsunahime said that the only time she could remember that happening was when the ninth tried to seal her."

"She can remember that?" asked Timoteo, surprised. He'd have to be more careful with her, if that was the case. Tsuna might be slightly distrustful of him (even if it's only subconsciously) and he couldn't have that.

Reborn raised a mocking eyebrow, "Hasn't baka-Iemitsu told you?"

"Told me what?"

"Tsuna renounced baka-Iemitsu as her father due to his part in the sealing. Apparently, it almost killed her." he tried to sound nonchalant about that but his voice held a tint of bitterness. He frowned mentally, he needed to learn to control his reactions when it came to his bambina it looked like.

Timoteo was silent for a moment before a simple, "I see," fell from his lips. Reborn didn't scowl but he desperately wanted too. 'I see'?! What does he see?! He sees nothing! Reborn had just told the man that he had nearly killed the bambina -his bambina- when she was a child and he says something like that?! His sky, his student, the person he loved nearly died before Reborn even got a chance to meet her because of this _vecchio manipolatore e arrogante_! Reborn silently seethed, his hand twitching for his gun. When was the last time he wanted to kill someone this much? He wanted to bring out his gun and plant the barrel against the Vongola head's forehead as he watched him sweat, fearing for his miserable, pathetic life, before Reborn pulled that trigger and watching with gleeful, sadistic eyes as-!

Sky flames encased his own, pulling him from his rage and into reality. They calmly stroked his own, trying to lull them into the same calmness as Reborn breathed out a silent sigh of relief as he reassessed his situation. On the outside, his descent into anger wasn't noticed as Timoteo still had a thoughtful look on his face and Iemitsu's was stuck on the shock setting, apparently.

Looking at those two made Reborn want to rage all over again (and show it visibly with a hail of bullets and scorching sun flames) but Tsuna's sky was still stubbornly holding onto his flames, keeping him grounded, "How is Tsuna's progressing overall then? Not being able to do the Zero-point breakthrough isn't a big loss. Not every boss has been known to achieve it and it is a Vongola secret so no one will expect to see it." Timoteo asked, looking at Reborn once he brought himself out of his thoughts.

Reborn pretended to think his answer over as he tugged those sky flames closer to him, worry was beginning to bleed from them but his own flames couldn't really translate anything but muted rage, even if it was lessening slightly. He was glad that humans couldn't sense emotions in flames unless taught (though Reborn wasn't taught to do so, he merely watched and was stubborn enough to figure it out once he knew it was possible). He pulled his fedora down, shadowing his eyes as he emotionlessly reported, "Her hand to hand is doing well, and her aim with the bow is improving but she's unfamiliar with the weapon at the moment so she'll need some more practice. She has a good head on her shoulders, quite level-headed. Tsumahime doesn't seem that focused on becoming the next Donna though." And she wasn't. Her family came first for her. It just so happened that the mafia were where some of her family was situated in so she'd follow along easily enough. Though, once she does become the next head, she wouldn't do her job half-heartedly. The bambina wasn't that type of person.

Timoteo frowned slightly, "She didn't seem like she was rejecting the idea when she was here."

"She understands that she doesn't have a choice."

"Hm, I'm hoping she'll come to accept her responsibilities without feeling that she was forced into it." Nono mused. If Nono really wanted that to happen, he wouldn't have sent _Reborn_ to tutor her even if he was the best at everything he did. Everyone knew he took the heavy handed approach when it came to persuasion. If the bambina wasn't the bambina, he'd just force her into whatever he wanted, wanting to finish his contract as quickly as possible. Reborn never denied the fact that he was selfish and knew himself well enough to know that he wasn't the best when it came to taking other people's opinions into consideration. Though, for his bambina, he was certainly making an effort to at least take her opinion into account.

"Little Tuna-fish just needs to get used to everything!" announced Iemitsu with an eager grin. He didn't seem to care too much about whether Tsuna will like her future career as he answered without much thought on his part.

"Are we done here? I've still got some tutoring to do." Reborn demanded, flicking his fedora up to look Timoteo in the eye.

He smiled at Reborn, all harmless looking, Reborn wasn't impressed, "Of course. Though I'm worried about Tsuna-chan's opinion of Iemitsu. Be sure to try and remedy that, Reborn."

This time, Reborn did openly frown, did Timoteo try and just order him, the World's Greatest Hitman, around? "Solving family matters has nothing to do with my contract." he stated blandly, a slight warning edge in his voice.

Timoteo continued to smile though, not at all worried about his continued health apparently, "Iemitsu is the outside advisor, Reborn. We need them to have a good relationship."

" _We_ do not need anything. The outside advisor is technically separate from the Vongola Family and so I don't need to interfere." Here, Reborn settled a sharp, piercing look onto the ninth, his voice dark, "Remember who you are talking to. I am not apart of your lackies. You don't get to order me around." Sweat trailed from Nono's forehead, Nougat tensing at his side but knew better than to speak out, not against the World's Greatest Hitman. Iemitsu, on the other hand, was an _idiot_ , plain and simple.

"Reborn!" he shouted, offence in his tone, "Don't talk to th-!"

Reborn turned his glare onto Iemitsu, eyes glinting with dark, disastrous promises, his shadow twisting as Reborn's anger became palpable, "I have told you before Iemitsu. Do not shout at me." Leon turned into a gun, settling into the hitman's hand easily, "Am I clear?" Iemitsu's arms trembled before he gained enough sense to hide them behind his back, Reborn still saw the movement and allow a taunting smirk to slide onto his face, his eyes as cold as winter, "Well?"

Iemitsu gulped, it seemed to echo across the room filled with terrified silence. He dropped his eyes to the ground, "O-of course, Reborn." his voice quivered weakly, his head dropping slightly. Reborn wanted to sneer at the pathetic man before him.

Sadistic glee shined in dark orbs, everyone else flinched away from him, "Good." Reborn purred, standing up. He lifted his gun, everyone tensed, watching warily though no one was meeting his eyes, but Leon merely changed back, flicking his tongue out at them as the chameleon settled on his fedora once more.

Reborn jumped off the chair and walked out of the room as silent as death.

Nobody stopped him.

* * *

 **Translations:**

 **vecchio manipolatore e arrogante: Manipulative and arrogant old man.**

 **And done!**

 **A ninth finally appears! We finally get a look at what his character will be like. Plus, Reborn gets to act like the badass he is on this chapter, so bonus!**

 **Once again thank you for the reviews, you guys are the best, I hope you enjoyed the chapter and I'll see you next time!**


	36. Chapter 36

Chapter Thirty Six

Tsunahime was bustling with activity, humming with anticipation. Today was the day that the all the Arcobaleno were coming over to get the seal. Reborn and Fon were already up and about, their flames in a constant state of movement, restless. They had taken to sparring outside as it was too early in the morning for Kyoya to fight his uncle. Well, the wolf could fight at this time of day (he could fight at _any_ time of the day, the battle manic), but he was bound to be scowling for the rest of the day due to having his morning interrupted and the mansion would probably be destroyed by the end of it. So Fon, wisely, found someone else. Therefore, he and Reborn were currently trying to beat the living daylights out of each other.

She was glad for that because when Reborn came back from Timoteo, he was in an awful mood. Not to her, but his flames took quite a while before they settled down. Even with her sky flame trying to help out. He had come in and immediately searched her out before dropping himself on her lap, which was a big sign he was annoyed about something. Reborn didn't mind being close to her or touching her (quite the opposite, she thought) but he tended to stay away from actions that he considered 'demeaning'. Being cuddled or sitting on her lap, for instance, reminded the hitman about his small body and so he was rarely the one to initiate those type of things. Tsuna had asked what was wrong but his flame spiked with flooding anger again so she had left it. It was probably something to do with the Ninth and Iemitsu.

Everything had something to do with those two recently, she realised. Tsuna dearly hoped that it wasn't going to become a pattern.

Her hyper intuition cheerfully declared otherwise.

Anyway, she was glad that come morning, Reborn was in a better mood, though considering what was happening today, Tsunahime doubted much could ruin his mood. Fon was in a similar state as his fellow Arcobaleno. She felt for the storm, he knew about the supernatural and that certain people could look into the curse and maybe deal with it but he couldn't search them out. He was banished from his clan and named a disgrace to it. Finding the correct people with knowledge about such an old, twisted curse would be impossible with such a stained reputation.

(The weight of your name meant a lot to the supernatural, whether it meant you were respected or discriminated against. Her own name meant that her Own were pretty much safe from being discriminated against -even with Fon's past- at least for most things. They couldn't start breaking rules without any punishment or anything like that, of course.)

Tsunahime couldn't think about that though, that pathetic waste of space that was head of Fon's previous clan who had cast him out, banished him and branded him a _disgrace_. No, Tsuna couldn't think about that because she'd get angry (so angry, rage filling her sight till all she wanted to see was that piece of trash laying so, so cold on the bloodied floor). Yes, Tsuna wasn't thinking about that, not at all. Really, she wasn't. The phoenix needed to be a good host for today and that meant being _calm_ and _happy_. Not raging uncontrollably.

Luckily, the servants attending the mansion was more than happy to help, preparing all kinds of snacks and drinks, some even Italian in nature. She didn't think having an actual dinner would be accomplished with a room full of clashing personalities without anyone to meditate (and while she wouldn't mind, she wasn't respected by the Arcobaleno enough as a whole to successfully do that) and some might just leave once they got their seal.

* * *

The Arcobaleno were very... eye catching, it turned out. Oh, she had met most of them, only missing Verde out until today, but when put in the same room everything about them screamed _different_. They stood out, even among each other as if constantly trying to outshine the other, never really settling on a balance.

There was Reborn, who was all sadistic and mocking, edged with smooth darkness. Fon, who at first seemed polite and docile, till it was too late and he was standing over you with the same polite smile but with destruction in his eyes. Colonello was loud but had sharp edges and sure shoulders. Viper, or Mammon, was cloaked shadows, mysterious and deceptive with hoarded knowledge. Skull seemed cowardly at first sight, with fake confidence to cover it up, but his flame burned bright with intensity and inner strength. Verde was someone who made Tsuna uncomfortable. His gaze was sharp, always assessing, and akin to someone who was constantly looking down on people, never trusting another being. His thirst for knowledge unnerved the phoenix as it seemed he'd do _anything_ to get it. Willing to go further than Mammon to get it.

Every single one of them had different personalities, different opinions, different _everything_. Their bond was built upon fragile respect and almost trust (though no one seemed to trust Verde and the same could be said for the scientist if the subtle looks they sent to each other said anything). If she was being honest, Tsunahime really didn't know how they managed to pass missions together as a team before the curse happened. Maybe it was because they were professionals and knew when to put their pride to the side?

Yeah, no.

Reborn, alone, had enough pride to fill a room (no matter the size of that room) and she doubted any of the others were any better. Fon, while not as vocal, had quite a lot of pride after all and he seemed to be the most laid-back out of all of them. So, no, Tsuna couldn't see how putting them all together as a team was a good idea but she supposed whoever casted the curse wanted them together. She didn't like Luce (she led them all into this curse like lambs to a slaughterhouse, even if she knew they weren't as helpless as that metaphor would infer) and couldn't really say much more about her, wanted to respect the dead as much as possible, but she wondered how Luce managed to become the 'leader' of that group.

Really, Tsunahime must have underestimated just how much the promise of a sky meant to those in the Underworld. Then again, she was a sky and so didn't understand the call of a sky. Though she understood the call of an element, she also had other elements to temper that urge if she heard it. Elements didn't have that advantage til they found a sky.

* * *

"We're here, kora!" announced Colonello, flying in with Falco. All the other Arcobaleno behind him with Varia tagging along. Tsuna blinked, bemused, as the servant bowed politely, leaving them all in the living room. Thank the gods for Kyoya's love of large, open spaces or there wouldn't be enough room with all her guests. Fon and Reborn were already sitting down on one of the sofas, cups of tea and coffee in hand respectively. Her other elements were scattered around the house, not wanting to put the Arcobaleno off, even if they probably wouldn't be taken seriously in the first place. Though Kyoya and Mukuro were leaning on opposite walls, being the strongest out of her elements (not counting Fon and Reborn) for Tsunahime's protection, much to her annoyance. Plus, Mukuro could contact Chrome easily, if anything popped up.

"Welcome, please, take a seat." Tsuna smiled, gesturing to the sofas placed around the room as she introduced herself. All of the sofas were placed so that everyone could see her but they weren't too close. Tsuna didn't wanted to set their paranoia off.

They seemed unsure at first, though it was well hidden on their faces, but Xanxus walked forwards, as fearless and bold as always, before taking a seat. He spread over the sofa like a king on a throne and Tsuna smiled politely at him. He snorted (he seemed endlessly amused by her manners), nodding a greeting, "Mini-trash." his guardians followed, sticking close and observing their surroundings. The others followed easily enough after that, seeing as Xanxus, who was apparently known for being violent, being as amicable as he could be, given his personality, in her presence, despite the loss of the ring battle.

Two servants walked back into the room, they seemed completely unaffected by the large gathering of people who practically smelt of power, a tray of drinks in their hands. The different liquids (tea and coffee) were all in jugs, which she proceeded to pour her own cup of tea from, showing it wasn't poisoned (though it wouldn't really stop her if it was) when she brought it up to her lips and took a sip. Tsuna smiled and thanked the two servants, who bowed, abashed, and exited the room once again.

Kyoya growled, suddenly, as Mukuro laughed more creepily than usual which reminded her, "Ah, could the two invisible people show themselves? They're welcome to sit with the rest of us but I'd rather see the ones whom I am addressing." The Varia, excluding Mammon, around confused, though trying not to show it. Xanxus merely cocked his head in his curiosity before narrowing his eyes in understanding. Ah, this one had good instincts. She expected nothing less.

"Invisible, bambina?"

Tsuna nodded, a little confused as Reborn should be able to sense extra flames and in the room but pointed to two empty spots in the room. Verde, the green-haired, lightning Arcobaleno, looked up, sharply, at her, "You shouldn't be able to see them. _How_ are you doing that?"

Reborn and Fon frowned, looking at the very visible people wearing some kind of suit before understanding because this was _Verde_. It figured Verde would make a type of camouflage that was only invisible to adults or teens. They didn't like the fact that he had tried to sneak these people in near their sky though.

Tsuna raised an unimpressed eyebrow, "Oh, I suppose you have to see something to know that it's there then?" her voice was tinted with slight mocking because in this room was filled with strong, powerful people who lived in the Underworld. She doubted they survived using their eyes alone. Verde gritted his teeth, glaring at her. Hm, not one to take a joke then. Still, it was very rude of him to walk into a house he had been invited in and trying to sneak others in with him. Tsunahime didn't really care about having more people than she expected but the unspoken threat the invisible people posed was taken seriously, "I do not mind if they stay but I'd prefer to see them."

Verde grumbled but complied, signalling his underlings and they blinked into view. Squalo swore, "What the hell?!"

Tsuna ignored that though, because she had a feeling these Arcobaleno weren't the patient type which was proved as Mammon, who was sat on Belphegor's shoulder and completely ignoring the suited people, questioned, "Muu, the seal?" This perked up the Arcobaleno, all of them looking more interested in what was happening.

Tsuna smiled, "Bat?" she called, and from the furthest corner into the room, which also happened to be the darkest, Bat strolled forward, nodding respectfully in her direction. Her ears and eyes appeared to be more human-like, given their present company, but nothing else about her had changed and her eyes still looked as sharp as ever even without the slitted pupil or that fact that she was obviously _blind_. Within her hands, she held a wooden box, Tsuna could pick out the protective rune markings carved into it to stop the contents from being damaged or stolen. Tsunahime gestured a hand to Bat's figure, "Everyone this is Bat and one of the two who have helped make the seal."

The Arcobaleno -barring Reborn and Fon- tensed at the woman's appearance but that was hardly Tsuna's fault. Bat liked dark places and where she stood was not something in her control as she was not one of her Own. If Bat wanted to mask her presence and hide out in dark corners then what could she say against that? Though, she was still masking her presence and it was obviously unnerving the gathering of people given their tense shoulders because while they could see and hear her, their other senses _couldn't_.

Bat, however, really didn't care about that. She merely took a step forward, her feet tapping soundlessly against the wooden flooring, and immediately drew all of the attention to her, "I have been hired by Tsunahime to investigate your curse and find a cure. We are getting close to that goal. However, a way to seal the curse was a logical step to take before putting all research and resources into breaking the Rainbow Curse. Due to my involvement with the making of the seal, I have been asked to lend my knowledge to this gathering." Tsunahime tilted her head curiously, looking at the bat demon, observing her. While, her voice was still pretty dull and bored, there seemed to be something else, something more in it that she had lacked before. Bat was standing slightly prouder too. Huh, interesting. Something must have happened, Tsuki did say Bat had begun to walk lighter than before.

Skull, his helmet still fixed onto his head, jumped, "Break?!" he shouted, disbelief in his voice warring with hope. Tsunahime felt her eyes soften against her will. Honestly, this whole curse business was just disgusting and though she didn't really know most of the afflicted, she felt for them either way.

Bat looked back at her, question in her eyes, Tsuna merely smiled, unhelpfully. She sighed, looking back to the purple clothed baby, "Correct. Curses are meant to be broken." she said simply, as if it was a fact everyone was taught growing up. Maybe she was taught it growing up, Tsuna couldn't say she actually knew anything about Bat's family or if she even had one.

"Muu, and why not just break the seal if it's that _easy_?" Mammon's voice was irradiated, obviously not taking to Bat's statement and the fact it inferred that it was something he should know about despite the fact he obviously didn't.

"Tsunahime decided it would be more logically to stop the risk of the curse worsening while we worked on breaking it. We agreed."

"We?" asked Colonello, remembering they mentioned another before.

Bat nodded, "Another is apart of the project. He wishes to remain anonymous for the time being."

"And why should we trust anything you're saying, trash? You're blind." Xanxus spoke from his spot on the sofa, he sounded momre curious but there was a slightly accusing note in his voice.

"Kufufu, being blind doesn't mean she is helpless." voiced Mukuro, amused. Bat was pretty well known around these parts and everyone with two brain cells knew not to cross her.

"Indeed." she agreed, her figure blurring, as Xanxus tensed, Bat appearing behind the man, leaning over him slightly. Skull yelped in shock, jumping back as the others turned more smoothly, to look at the woman more attentively. The Varia were tense, barely stopping from reaching for their weapons, "I admit my combat abilities are not as good as they could be but the loss of my sight isn't something that has dulled me. Please, be rest assured that I am the best at what I do." Not even Tsuna saw her move but then again Bat was _Old_. You only got to that age by either hiding out and being as average as possible (something Bat most definitely _wasn't_ ) or beating all those that came at you, wanting to test themselves, before everyone got the message that you were strong and wouldn't be taken out so easily.

Tsunahime sighed, hoping to stop anyone from doing anything drastic. Something had definitely changed, Bat would never have took that bait before, "Bat, Xanxus doesn't know what you are capable of. It should be expected that he would be disbelieving."

Bat blinked slowly, "I suppose you are correct." she intoned blandly, straightening her back. She walked back to her previous position, holding out the box slightly, "There is a condition you must all uphold if you were to accept the seal." she intoned, getting back on track.

"Condition?" Reborn repeated, having not heard of this before. The others narrowing their eyes suspiciously while Fon carried on smiling, completely undisturbed.

"Even with my sources, I have been unable to track down the one you call, 'Checkerface'." Bat's voice even sounded slightly frustrated by that, not used to people evading her. The Arcobaleno, as a whole, tensed at that man's name, "However, if that man catches wind of the fact that we are working on breaking the curse, he may take steps to prevent it. If you were to accept the seal, you must be discrete about it's existence."

"Discrete? This seal should only be holding back any negative effects, right? There is nothing to be discrete about." Mammon stated, floating up slightly.

"While it does stop any negative effects from occurring, the seal also has another effect." Bat paused, making certain that she had all their attention, "It will grant you your adult body back for some time."

This statement was, of course, met confusion and disbelief. Reborn and Fon looked at Tsuna in surprise while their fellow Arcobaleno seemed to be frozen with shock, micro expressions fluttering across their faces. Tsuna smiled back, she purposefully didn't tell them about this little bit, wanting to surprise them, Bat only having told her this morning over the phone before she arrived. Tsunahime cleared her throat, politely drawing attention, "Unfortunately, we couldn't make it permanent. The grip the Rainbow Curse has on you all is remarkably strong. The seal, when flames were channelled into it, will restore you to your original adult form. You will only be able to do this for two hours per week, but you needn't spend all your time at once." Tsuna bowed her head slightly, "My apologies, I hoped to be able to grant you more time but, as I have said, the curse is strong. Stronger than I expected at first." she admitted. Honestly, when she first saw the curse, despite its horrid nature, she hoped it was just the result of some idiot stumbling onto something too complicated for them to understand and decided to cast it without really knowing how it worked.

That was not the case.

Whoever made that curse (and it was clear they made it, or at least knew how to make it if they wanted, because of how precise the curse that was chained to the Arcobaleno was) knew exactly what they were doing and what they wanted out of it. It sent a shiver down her spine when she thought about the type of person they must be to want to create something so… so _barbaric_. It was clear the curse was old, and therefore outdated, but it was never changed or adapted. Which should have happened, because when examining the curse, it was also clear that it was made with an objective in mind. It was _sucking_ flames into the pacifier, but it wasn't overflowing (which it should have, given how strong the hosts of the curse was) with the amount taken and that suggested that the flames were going somewhere. If the curse was made for an objective, surely it should be reviewed at least. Apparently not though because they (whoever they were, she knew he was called 'Checkface' but other than that was in the dark) decided it was good enough. It wasn't. Tsunahime hated that thing and she wasn't even the one chained to it.

And then she got in touch with the Vindice and what they told her about it… She refused to let Fon or Reborn go through that, even if she had to hunt this Checkface to the edge of the world and show the man herself just what she thought about the whole thing.

"O-our bodies? We get our bodies back, kora?!" Colonello didn't seem to care about the short time he'd have in his body other than the fact that he could to be able to walk around as an adult once more. Well, he'd have to be discrete about it but apart from that, it'd be more freedom than he had in years.

"The amazing Skull-sama is pleased!" crooned Skull and even though no one could see his face, Tsuna could hear the grin in his voice.

"How does this work exactly?" questioned Verde, eyes pinned on the box Bat held, correctly guessing about its contents.

"Muu, how do we know you're telling the truth?" Mammon also demanded, suspicious.

"We have no way of reassuring you of its validity due to not having the curse." bluntly stated Bat, "And the information of how the seal was made is a secret and will not be shared."

"Kufufufu, one of you could always be the guinea pig." suggested Mukuro, having been mostly quiet throughout the gathering. Kyoya was merely content to silently observe.

The Arcobaleno stopped and looked at each other, silently communicating. Sure, they could just send Skull out but they really weren't that cruel. Well… not to one of their fellow Arcobaleno, no matter how much of a coward he is. At least with the other things they made him do, they knew he could get out of it, being able to heal his own wounds with his flames at a rapid pace. This… if this was a trap (they really, _really_ hoped it wasn't), they didn't know if even Skull would heal from it. Of course, Fon and Reborn didn't believe it was a trap but Reborn wasn't exactly the type of person to willingly enter himself into something he didn't fully know about. He couldn't do that now with the other Arcobaleno around, who didn't know of Tsuna being his sky and therefore he trusted her more than he did anyone else. Fon, however, continued to smiled, it even widened slightly. Out of all the Arcobaleno, he was known as somewhat more 'laidback' in terms of paranoia. He wasn't but his body could withstand a lot more so in reality he had less things to worry about and the things he was worried about, he was careful about hiding. Not that the Arcobaleno knew about that (though Reborn did now, he supposed) so he could easily volunteer himself.

And he was quite willing to do so.

He was not passing up the change to get back into his body, even if it wasn't a completely permanent thing, and he found himself almost giddy at the prospect. Stepping forward, Fon smiled, "I wouldn't mind trying it out."

Bat nodded, stepping forward, as Tsuna smiled happily at him. The bat demon opened the wooden box and placed it on the table so Fon could jump up and see. Inside were six silver rings, the inside of the ring was engraved with rune markings, each looking detailed despite how small the lines were. If one was to look closely at the rings, they'd be able to see that while the rings did look mostly plain (having been designed that way to not draw attention and to suit the others' style as it wouldn't clash with anything and therefore look out of place), they looked to be cracks running through the rings that faintly pulsed with power. The cracks were tiny, barely visible things, but each a different colour of a different flame type to represent their corresponding user.

Fon stared for a moment, interested, before picking the ring with faint red cracks. Without fuss, he slipped it on. As soon as the ring settled, Fon could feel the curse's heavy, aching burden lighten. It was still there but he couldn't feel it as much as he did before. It wasn't as demanding as before that his attention was automatically taken by it. The curse was still sucking on his soul flames but it wasn't so draining now. It was taking less, he realised, the seal acted almost like a flood gate, partially blocking the curse. Fon's smiled widened at the thought that he would be able to actual use his flames again without needing as much concentration on his part.

Remembering what his sky said about channelling his flames into the ring, Fon did just that. Shifting to his adult body was a strange sensation. It didn't hurt, per say, but he was aware of his limbs stretching, of his bones growing rapidly under his skin. It felt a lot like when he transformed fully into his supernatural form. Something he hasn't been able to do since the curse. It was one of the main reason why he had been named a disgrace, not being able to utilise his nature was what made his previous head to believe him to be pathetic and unworthy of his clan name. His former clan head -Lui Qiang- is a vain and pretentious person, whom Fon didn't like in the first place (the man had a one-sided rivalry with him because Qiang believed himself to be the strongest in the clan despite the fact that Fon was stronger. Qiang never acknowledged it aloud but he was always trying to one up the storm. Fon was quite tired of it in the end, so despite the fact that being banished was a horrible thing, at least he didn't need to listen to Qiang anymore. The dragon got insufferable since he was named the leader of the clan, Fon never wanted the position in the first place as he quite liked his freedom. Becoming the head would limit his time on the human side of things and Fon didn't want that as he found humans quite interesting. Well, some of them at least, others were quite annoying but that was the same for the supernatural people he knew as well) but that clan was his still family and to be banished… It burned and scarred him for a long time. Being with Tsuna and his fellow elements helped heal that scar. Thinking about Qiang reminded Fon of the fact that he had yet to properly tell her of the reason why Qiang requested him to find her. Fon wasn't looking forward to it and could admit to putting it off. Reborn's reaction alone…

Breaking out of his thoughts, Fon looked down at his body in wonder, the process was a quick one, taking no more than a second or two. He was still wearing his clothes, they had stretched to suit his new size now and Fon thanked whoever had the foresight to fit that into the seal. He could feel his storm flames thrumming beneath his skin in excitement, finally not chained down by the curse while he was in this form. He could feel his power, his strength returning to him and was unable to stop the excited grin stretching across his face as his lifted his arms, punching out and able to feel completely natural despite the fact that he hadn't been this size for years. Lichi made a happy sound, still clinging to his head but Fon felt that he was slightly bigger than before. It made sense. Lichi was his familiar, he fed off his flames and with more of them available, Lichi could grow bigger. He was still small, but didn't look tiny compared to his new, bigger body.

Fon turned, about to express just how much this meant to him (and screw the others, who were looking at him with equal parts of shock and hope, he could be expected to be grateful for this), but he was distracted.

And by distracted, Fon meant that a _black, flaming portal_ opened up right in front of him and all he could think was, _of course_. Of course, he finally got a chance to be back in his body and the _vindice_ show up.

* * *

 **And that's a wrap!**

 **We still have another chapter to go before the seal part is done but we're finally getting there. I gave them two hours out of the seal, able to use their humans forms for a while because I figured that it'd be strange that a society of supernatural people couldn't, at least, temporarily break the curse and block any side affects. Though at the same time, I have plans for the Arcobaleno arc and they need to be partially curse for that to happen.**

 **The vindice are here! I'm going to have way too much fun writing everyone's reactions!**

 **On another note, I'm glad all of you liked (or hated, I suppose) Timoteo. I personally always though it was strange that the Vongola was lorded around as the best but they lost three heirs so close to each other, as will as the Varia being being to break into a place called the Iron Fort, and survive. Granted, Xanxus was encased in ice but I'm pretty sure he let his emotions cloud him at that point so I'll be playing on that in the future.**

 **Once again, thank you for reading and reviewing. See you all next week!**


	37. Chapter 37

Chapter Thirty Seven

 _And by distracted, Fon meant that a black, flaming portal opened up right in front of him and all he could think was, of course. Of course, he finally got a chance to be back in his body and the vindice show up._

* * *

Chains rattled, breaking most out of their dumbfounded staring, both at Fon's adult body and the pitch black flaming portal that anyone in the Underground knew and had nightmares about. Even those in the Triads knew of the Vindice, who didn't really interfere with them unless it was something to do with flames. A cold chill settled in the Varias' and the Arcobalenos' bones. Fon and Reborn shifting slightly to cover Tsunahime more effectively. Reborn was happy that Fon was in his adult body for this (even if he regretted not suggesting to go first so he'd be in his body and be the one to more effectively protect their sky. Not that he didn't trust in Fon's abilities, because he did -trust in Fon's skills, he means- but Reborn would have felt better if he was in that position nonetheless). Reborn did remember Tsunahime mentioning that she was on good terms with the Vindice (and that _should not_ be a thing in any universe) but he didn't really process that thought with the beings, that made professional killers cry (not him, of course, because he was Reborn but the point still stood), step out of the portal. It was the same when he saw Hibari, who was usually the first one to acknowledge a threat against his pack, not bat an eyelash at the sudden appearance. Reborn saw the detail but didn't really process it when the only thing on his mind was, there is a threat near his bambina whom he wouldn't be able to kill easily and that was bad, very, very bad.

The lackey exclaimed, stumbling back in shock and part terror, "W-what the hell?!" It pretty much summed up what was currently going through everyone else's' minds. Xanxus stood up, his hands near his twin guns but knew better than to aim them, which could be counted as an attack. No one attacked the Vindice and got away with it.

Despite the warm temperate, cold swept through the room as a cloaked figure stepped out of the portal. He was covered in bandages, the only bit of his face that could be seen his the single piercing, gold coloured eye. A black cloak covered his body, the style very old fashioned, not that anyone would tell that to any of the Vindice. A top hat sat upon the man's shaggy long, shoulder length hair. He was tall and imposing but that wasn't what drew the Arcobaleno's attention, well, not all of it, they weren't stupid enough to ignore the man (could he be called that?), as a baby sat upon the vindice's shoulder. A very _Arcobaleno-like_ baby with a clear pacifier hanging around his neck. He wore similar clothes as the man he was sitting on but the bandages around his face covered everything, hiding every feature, even his eyes, from view.

The Vindice Arcobaleno? (what was _happening_?) looked at Fon for one long moment, no one daring to even breathe until his bandages moved, indicating that he had opened his mouth to speak, **"Interesting. I see now why you asked me to be here, Tsunahime."** his voice was deep despite his baby figure, his voice seemingly intent on etching itself in their skin with it's rough, emotionless tone.

Tsuna beamed happily, sending her flames to calm her storm and sun, not that it did much given how tense they were at the moment, "I thought you would want to be involved, Bermuda-chan."

Xanxus twitched, a scowl forming as disbelief entered his voice, "You mean you asked the Vindice to come here, mini-trash?" he was ignoring the word 'Bermuda-chan'. That _did not_ happen. That couldn't have just happened.

"Of course, Xanxus. This includes them too."

Tsuna ignored Squalo's, "How do you even do that? And Bermuda-chan? Voi, who the hell are you?!" Really, if she was actually starting to enjoy frustrating people, she was obviously spending too much time with Reborn. Not that she was complaining about that.

 **"You have increased your family since we last met."** Bermuda stated, using his night soul flames to scan the area and seeing the flames that were connected to her own, the not baby looked to Bat, thoughtfully, **"And only you would be able to convince Bat to work for you on breaking a curse such as this one."** The leader's tone was bordering on pride and approval but not even Reborn was willing to think about what that inferred with a ten-foot long pole. He did, however, take note of the way Bermuda, the leader of the vindice ( _why, Tsuna, why_?), said Bat's name. As if she was of so much importance that she was renowned even among his group of devils. He was going to ask about that later. When the Vindice weren't here. Bat didn't react fearfully in any way to Bermuda, merely nodding in his direction with a blank expression.

Besides, Reborn wanted to shoot something in frustration. He really did. Everyone else around them were obviously unnerved, waiting for the Vindice to attack at any second, but not Tsuna. Oh no. Tsuna, his secretly mischievous bambina, decided to ignore the growing tension that cloaked the room and casually chat with the _Leader of the Vindice_. A leader she invited in the first place, without telling anyone else this was going to happen (they needed to talk about letting them know important details such as this). Which was obviously annoying and frustrating for everyone as no one knew _how_ to react to whatever the hell was going on.

If it wasn't the Vindice in front of him, he'd be so proud…

Still, there was something to address and seen as no one else seemed to have the backbone to ask it, he was going too instead. Though Hibari didn't seem bothered about the Vindice, rather than scared of them, and Fon was focusing all of his attention into protecting Tsuna, should it be needed, without being obvious about it so Reborn couldn't really comment about them, "How does this include the Vindice exactly?" he demanded, trying to ignore the pacifier around Bermuda's neck and the implications of that.

Tsuna hummed in thought, looking at Bermuda, who nodded, "The vindice are made up of the previous Arcobaleno." And there went his denial.

A blink, "What?" Verde cut in, bluntly, mind spinning with things that small sentence implied.

"Checkerface-" Tsuna paused as and two Vindice covered the room with killing intent, angered by the mere name of the man who did this to them, "Now, Bermuda-chan, Jager, I understand your fury but this isn't the best place to let it run wild." she summoned her own flames and called upon the calming quality they had, letting it fill the room and dull their temper if only a little. Colonello made a small, whimpering noise at the back of his throat at the sight of Tsunahime not only _scolding_ the Vindice but using her flame to calm them down. Reborn completely understood, even if he'd never admit it. Especially, when the Vindice themselves didn't seem to care, actually _listening_ and pulling back their killing intent, even if it was still the air, it was at a more manageable level. Seriously, what was the bambina's relationship with these people? Going to a party or two (Reborn wasn't thinking about that, he _wasn't_ ) shouldn't suddenly endear you to the Vindice! "As I was saying, Checkerface," another pulse of intent before they got a hold of themselves once again, "took back Bermuda-chan's and his generation's pacifiers when they were running out of flames. Refusing to accept his fate, Bermuda-chan clung to his flames and his will, turning them black and therefore living even without the pacifier. In its place, he has a clear one. Bermuda-chan, once he realised what he had done, became the Leader of the Vindine, creating the Vendicare."

The gathered Arcobaleno really didn't know how to react to that information so Mammon asked, wanting a hoard as much knowledge as possible before going over it later, "Muu, so the other Vindice did the same?"

"I can't say that I know the details, having only learned about it when looking into breaking the curse and needing more knowledge about it, but, from what I can understand, Bermuda-chan used his flames to keep the strongest of each generation of Arcobaleno from dying, turning them into one of the Vindice." Tsunahime wondered if she could use the word 'alive' when talking about the Vindice because they were technically dead but they lived as well... sort of. It was an… un-life in a way. It was confusing to explain but they were both alive and dead at the same time. Their hearts didn't beat and they didn't breathe, but they could still walk and were capable of thinking for themselves. They were zombies. Really, really powerful zombies... Who didn't have the annoying tendency of preferring to eat human flesh... At least, she didn't think they did.

The tall one -Jager, Tsuna knew- nodded in confirmation, **"Lord Bermuda doesn't care about the curse being cured but if we were able to break it, we would be able to take something away from that _man_."** Everyone could hear the smirk in his voice that spoke of dark satisfaction. The Arcobaleno couldn't really hold that against them, if they had a way to get back at Checkerface, they'd take it as well. After trying to kill them, of course. Though if the Vindice had a grudge against him and couldn't find him/kill him, they wondered how powerful Checkface really was.

Bat stepped forward, "Does that mean you'll lend your knowledge of the curse?"

 **"We will lend our assistance for the time being. We shall contact you with the information at a later date."** finalised Bermuda with a decisive nod. Bat returned it with one of her own and stepped back as the Arcobaleno stared, very lost and confused.

"You… you asked the Vindice for help...?" Fon asked, slowly. Sure, he knew the the Vindice were somewhat known in the supernatural community but even than they weren't exactly the friendliest bunch. Even with the strange parties he heard they hosted, though you had to personally be given an invite to that or come with someone who had been given an invite. Fon, honestly, couldn't see the appeal of attending one of those but then he knew the Vindice through the triads first, and later, the mafia before he knew them through the supernatural side of things, so his wariness was natural.

His sky's completely relaxed response to them was not, in any way, _natural_.

He got a unconcerned smile in return, "Of course. If I want to break this curse as soon as possible it would be for the best to get as much help as possible."

Skull whimpered, "Reborn-senpai, your student is _scary_." Tsuna pretended not to hear the whispered comment even as Mukuro chuckled, pleased and Kyoya smirked. Reborn, following Kyoya's example with an even more smug air about himself than usual, flame radiating pride and swirling around her own sky.

A black portal opened but as Bermuda and Jager (who she still hadn't properly introduced, she realised, that was probably very rude of her) prepared to jump, Tsuna called out to them, suddeningly remembering, "Ah, if you could wait a moment." Jager stopped and Bermuda turned his head, "Thank you. I wanted to tell you earlier but I figured doing it in person would be easier. The mafia seem to be under the impression my mist is still a criminal but I thought you dropped his charges."

She got the impression that Bermuda narrowed his eyes, **"We have."** he growled out, not liking that his law was being undermined. Sure, he didn't drop his charges very often (or _ever_ ) but he sent out a notice all the same. Bermuda turned to the mist, **"You haven't committed any crimes recently?"** he questioned.

Mukuro smirked, "Kufufufu, I don't believe I've massacred anyone recently…" he trailed off, like he was trying to remember if he had, actually adopting a thinking pose, as Kyoya twitched, obviously very close to bring out his tonfa. He really had no patience for Mukuro. Not that Tsuna blamed him, Mukuro went out of his way to rile the wolf up, "Nope, I have my dear Chrome to look after now and as much I loved the pained cries that come from your Vendicare, I don't want to be imprisoned there. I hear you use water tanks." he stated, as if the thought of being trapped in a water tank was worse than actually being imprisoned and, no doubt, physically tortured. Than again. she had heard those water tanks tended to infer with the person's flames and shut off their senses so could be counted as torture, just more geared to the mental aspect.

Bermuda stared at Mukuro for another moment (which made Tsuna wonder because Bermuda's eyes were covered, what was he seeing? Or could he see through the bandages? Maybe he was similar to Bat and used his flames to 'see') before nodding and turning back to Tsuna, **"The Vindice shall make clear the status of your mist."** and with that slightly ominous statement, for the mafia at least, Jager stepped into the portal and disappeared with Bermuda on his shoulder.

The room warmed.

Everyone seemed to let out a breath of relief, shoulder slumping slightly.

Tsuna watched on, amused with her cloud and mist.

Tsuna smiled happily as Fon relaxed slightly, now that the potential threat was gone, "I'm glad that I got that sorted out. I was wondering what would happen if the mafia knew that I had Mukuro as my element while still thinking him as a criminal." she mused, if only to fill the silence that seemed to hang in the air.

Reborn sighed, feeling his tension slip away, muttering, "I told you to stop breaking reality, bambina."

Tsuna chuckled, amused, "In my defence, I didn't expect Bermuda-chan to drop in while this was still going on. I thought he'd come in afterwards."

"I don't think that was the point, Tsuna." pointed out Fon with a fond, exasperated smile before returning to his baby form, not wanting to waste his two hours of the week in it if he was just going to chat. Given his nephew's anticipating smirk, he'd be fighting in it soon enough. He sat back down with Reborn.

At the reminder of the seal, the other Arcobaleno turned back to the box on the coffee table, trying to forget what just happened (who the hell can just ask something of the _Vindice_ and get it without any consequences?! And who the hell calls the leader of the Vindice, 'Bermuda-chan' and gets away with it?! Sure, she was Reborn's student, and so was going to be crazy by association eventually, but they were pretty sure summoning the Vindice willingly was even outside of Reborn's type of insanity. Skull got it right for once, she was scary… Not that any of them would admit to thinking that but they at least knew to stay a healthy distance away if anyone got her mad. And to abandon whoever was foolish enough to invoke that anger in the first place). After looking closely and seeing the difference between each ring, they slipped on their respective ones, immediately feeling the seal working. Any uncommon (that was becoming more and more common as time went on) exhaustion was washed away and with that they channelled their flames into the rings.

In the place of the Strongest Babies, were the _Strongest_ , the best of the best, in their prime. Colonello grinned, feeling his strength returned to him, "This is awesome, kora!" he exclaimed, Skull being quick the shout out his excitement afterwards. Viper was busy staring at his hands with wonder and awe emitting from his flame. Verde was muttering something under his breath, staring at the ring on his finger with analytical eyes. Reborn was looking over his body with a pleased smirk, flames radiating his joy over having his body back.

"As stated before caution and discretion is expected when using the rings. They are durable. Meant to withstand combat, but do not abuse them. I will not make you a new one." reminded Bat. Everyone nodded, too busy reveling in what was happening to say anything of value.

Well, that was the case until Verde's curiosity got the better of him, "Why rings?" he asked.

"My partner, who worked with me on the seal, had previous knowledge about how to infuse rings with power. It was the logical choice. Plus, the mafia has been known to have certain special rings. It should prove as an extra cover if needed."

"And how does one infuse rings with power?"

Bat narrowed her eyes, threatening, "As stated before, the knowledge of the seal and how it was made is a secret. It shall remain so. Be mindful of your curiosity, scientist."

Verde began to glare at the bat demon before stopping himself and reluctantly nodding, she and Tsunahime had made headway into breaking the curse and granted him the seal without wanting anything in return. He wasn't so ungrateful to spit that in their face. At least, not about this in any case.

* * *

Tsuna sighed, tiredly, as she relaxed against the sofa. The Arcobaleno had finally gone to wherever they were staying before leaving the country which allowed her to relax once more. Don't get her wrong, she wasn't expecting them to suddenly attack her but they were called the Strongest for a reason (Reborn and Fon showed her that) and lowering her guard against them would be stupid. Tsunahime made a point to not be stupid whenever possible. After all, being stupid was to be like her 'father' and she did not want that.

Reborn patted her head in silent sympathy. He had turned back into a baby almost as soon as he turned into an adult, wanting to save it for later. Fon smiled up at her and jumped on to her other shoulder, flames curling around her along with Reborn's. Mukuro's and Kyoya's were quick to follow the two Arcobaleno's example, her other elements having left to go home some time ago and Lambo, Fuuta and I-Pin were safely asleep in their warm bed. It wasn't very late but it was getting dark outside and most had parents who would be worried about them. Chrome had gone home to make sure Chikusa and Ken didn't worry while Mukuro stayed by her side during the whole meeting.

Honestly, they pampered her, she thought, almost dazed by the flames curling around her, with a smile. Unfortunately, a knock sounded and she pushed away that feeling as much as possible to be more clear-headed, "Come in." she allowed and sat up once more. The door opened to reveal the Varia. They strolled on in, all cool confidence and bellowing cloaks. Tsuna's lips twitched.

"You wanted something, mini-trash?"

"I just wanted to let you know I talked with Timoteo. I thought you should know incase he brings it up." The man seemed to be the type to manipulate information to his liking so she thought it'd be easier to give him the full story straight away. Plus, she liked Xanxus and figured him knowing someone share his obvious opinion about the man would help him settle. Wrath flames, while rare even among the supernatural, could be tempered by sky flames. They would always rage but the user would find it easier to hold onto their calm and let go of their anger. Regardless, her and Xanxus weren't at that stage of trust just yet and she didn't want him to jump to the wrong conclusion if she started summoning her flames around him, so she wouldn't be able to help him just yet.

"Really?" Xanxus raised an eyebrow, dropping into the other sofa with feline grace (it reminded her of a larger cat though, not a house cat, perhaps and tiger of some kind though Xanxus temperament reminded her of an stereotypical western dragon), his guardians were more relaxed now that the Arcobaleno were gone. Mammon had used up his two hours straight away, in endless and also silent awe once he obtained his adult form and so was on Belphegor's shoulder once more, "How was the bastard?"

Tsuna tilted her head, an amused tint of her lips, "As you would put it, he was 'trash'."

Xanxus laughed as own guardians showed their amusement and agreement, "I knew there was something I liked about you, mini-trash."

"My thanks." Tsuna drawled, slightly sarcastic, because that sounded slightly like a compliment but also like an insult. Though, Tsuna didn't think Xanxus was capable of a compliment without an insult mixed in. He didn't seem that type of person.

Xanxus merely smirked as Belphegor laughed, "Shishishi, what did the pretender king do?"

She hummed, "Nothing overt but he seemed… manipulative to me. Not to mention patronising. There was something about him that screamed fake and he didn't take me seriously. You'd think after our battle, he'd think me worth more than that." Tsuna shrugged, mindful of her two passengers, Timoteo didn't seem bad on the surface (if she excluded the Xanxus and sealing thing) when she met with him yesterday. He said nothing overly worrying but Tsuna prided herself on her judge of character, which was often helped along by her Hyper Intuition, and it was telling her to be careful. It was telling her that she'd need to watch her back while he was around her and she would have done even if it didn't to be honest. Timoteo was a mafia boss, he _couldn't_ just be all grandfather smiles.

Reborn scowled at the mention of Timoteo, breaking his usual cool indifferent mask that he showed to those that weren't part of the family. Though his indifference was still his go to expression, Reborn was a lot more prone to actually showing his emotions with his fellow elements and sky. The Varia blinked in surprise, "What's up with you?" asked Mammon as he was an Arcobaleno and therefore couldn't get shot by him. Well, at least not physically. Knowing Reborn, he'd try and make his life hell even without being able to injure him. Just because shooting people was his usual outlet didn't mean it was his only one. Though, he would only go out of his way because of the set of rules the Arcobaleno agreed to. Reborn stuck to his word, even if he didn't like it, as long as he wasn't betrayed first.

When Reborn didn't answer, still scowling at whatever memory he was remembering, Tsuna did it for him, "I'm not really sure. After my talk with Timoteo, he asked for Reborn to stay behind. When Reborn came back, he was in a terrible mood."

Reborn tugged his fedora down, hearing Tsunahime's tone and decided to tell her because she was obviously worried, he didn't want to worry her, even when he was as angry as he currently was, "Nono dared to try and _order_ me around." he sneered, still furious about it and the whole conversation really. He nearly killed his bambina!

Xanxus blinked in surprised shock as everyone fell into aghast silence, "Really?" he asked, unable to keep the skepticism out and his voice, "I knew he was arrogant trash but that's like asking for a personalised death wish." Because even though Xanxus was the leader of the Varia, even he wasn't arrogant enough to personally piss off the World's Greatest Hitman. Well, at least, not without good reason and a whole fortress of defences. Better safe than sorry when it came to the strongest sun.

Reborn smirked darkly, his eyes glinting, the Varia would never admit to the shiver that ran down their spine, "Oh, he's got one… He just doesn't realise it yet." he purred, Leon automatically changing into a gun at the sound of his human's voice. Reborn grabbed it, just imagining the satisfaction he'd feel when he could finally shoot the man dead.

Mukuro chuckled darkly, "Kufufufu, now that is something I wouldn't mind helping out with."

"The herbivore threatened Alpha's life. I'd hunt him with you, carnivore." growled Kyoya.

"I suppose I should get involved as well. To make sure everything is contained, of course." added Fon, smiling. His smile seemed to have gained quite the pedadory edge that said he'd be there for more than keeping things 'contained'.

Tsuna smiled, wanting to calm the situation before it got too out of hand despite the warm, fuzzy feeling settling in her stomach as she watched her family get along, even if it was over killing someone, "Perhaps we should hold off planning his death. He is the current head after all."

Kyoya growled, angry, but Mukuro smiled slyly, "Don't worry, Kyoya-chan. Darling isn't telling us not to, only asking us to wait until she the head of the Vongola Family."

Tsuna sighed but tellingly didn't object to that statement so Kyoya calmed down… after trying to hit the annoying fox for his nickname, of course.

"Shishishi, if you're killing someone, the prince wants in."

Lussuria giggled, "I do like a dead corpse or two."

* * *

Tsuna hummed quietly as she looked around their room, looking for Reborn as she sat on their shared bed. The Varia stayed for a little while longer, quite liking to talk about Timoteo and his death or just death in general (who would have thought...?) before leaving. Xanxus seemed more at ease with her after she admitted to her… _dislike_ of Timoteo like she thought he might. It wasn't that surprising, she got the distinct feeling that not many people in the Vongola liked Xanxus as a person so being able to bond over a mutual animosity of the ninth was probably something new but welcomed for him, outside his guardians of course, as they seemed to share their boss' opinion on the man.

Tsuna did briefly wonder why they hadn't questioned her on her unusual flame use, however, Mukuro quickly cleared that up. Apparently, he had had put a small compulsion around the room to stop questions like that from being asked. The fox had put some of his kitsune abilities into the illusion so it was more difficult to spot. Saying that, while Mukuro using his kitsune side tended to make his illusion more powerful, they weren't invincible. It did make the illusion more difficult to be sensed but so long as you got used to it or were looking very hard, you could dismiss it. Providing you had the required skill to detect it, of course. When asked why he did it, because Tsuna really didn't have the foresight to request that (something she'd need to work on, she thought and made a mental note about), Mukuro said that it was a mist's job to deceive and it was his job as a mist element to his sky to make sure the deception surrounding their family was only advantageous to them. Basically, if she wanted to tell Xanxus about their true nature, it'd be on her terms. Though he couldn't make the compulsion stick to people, not without effort and they were in constant contact with the strongest mist, which meant he'd catch up on it eventually, no matter how different his illusions would feel, so Xanxus could ask if they weren't prepared for it.

It was better than nothing and Tsuna appreciated the lengths her fox went for their family, and said so though he just replied that once he trained Chrome properly (something he was still doing, even though the ring battles had ended, as was the rest of her family, wanting to be as strong as they could once they got into the mafia. All of them had a feeling that the mafia would be full of problems) she'd take up the role of drawing attention away while he drew the attention. There were benefits of having two mists, especially when they worked so well with each other.

She jumped slightly as strong arms encircled her middle and pulled her into a torso (a very hard, well-muscled chest, her traitorous mind whispered), she blinked and looked up on an adult Reborn, "Reborn?" she asked with a blush because adult Reborn was pretty handsome, even with those sideburns of his (though they make him look adorable, not that she'd say that aloud) and said handsome man was hugging her.

Reborn eyed Tsuna's blush with a smug smirk, it had been a _long time_ since he had been given that type of reaction and the fact that Tsuna gave it to him just made it even better, "Thank you." he muttered. Despite how quiet his voice was (obviously not very used to saying thank you to anyone), the helpless gratitude he felt could be heard loud and clear.

Tsuna relaxed once it became clear that Reborn wasn't letting go anytime soon, knowing what he was thankful for, and let her eyelids slide shut, going into her half phoenix form on instinct. Reborn only shifted his hold to accommodate her wings, not letting go, "I've already told you, you are one of my Own," Reborn tightened his hold slightly, pulling her even closer to him, and Tsuna tried not to think about why his flames had suddenly turned possessive, "But, you are welcome." she continued, accepting his rare thanks, knowing with the amount of gratitude she could feel from him, he wouldn't let it go easily.

Reborn watched his bambina fall asleep in his arms and he couldn't help but think about how good it felt to be able to do that again. To be able to hold someone he loved in his arms once again. He sighed, feeling Tsuna's flames reach out for his own, as they always did, and mix within them before laying down and bring the bambina with him, burying his nose in her soft hair. The hair tickled his nose slightly but he ignored it, Reborn was way too comfortable to even think about moving.

He was totally saving some of his curse-free time each week to do this again, he thought, as Tsuna gave a small noise of contentment and turned in his arms, nuzzling his neck. She breathed out before going boneless again, sighing, sending a pleasant shiver down his spine as the air brushed against his neck. Yes, he was so going to make this a common thing.

* * *

 **And done!**

 **The Vindice make their first, proper appearance! Also Squalo is the straight man in this fanfic I've realised... Poor guy is probably the only one who's even bothering to speak aloud about how weird Tsuna and her group is... Well, at least for now. I quite like putting in Squalo's confused exclamations in the middle of a conversation, only to be largely ignored...**

 **You all seem to be enjoying the pace of the story so far, which is good because I honestly thought I was spending to long on the Varia arc and the future arc is probably going to keep the same pace, though I can't be sure because I haven't properly written that part out yet. Anyway, thanks for all the amazing reviews, as always!**


	38. Chapter 38

Chapter Thirty Eight

Tsuna frowned faintly in thought, "I do not think you ever did tell me why that man requested you see me, Fon." she stated, abet abruptly, having just remembered and breaking the peaceful silence between them and Reborn. Fon was currently cooling down from a fight with Kyoya in the garden. A fight fought with using his adult body. Kyoya was, naturally, over the moon about fighting him like that, going straight into his half wolf form and ending up fighting with his full wolf form during the end. Because of this, Fon had quite a few scratches and bruises that were slowly forming, not that Fon lost (he may not be able to transform but he still had access to some of his supernatural abilities available to him and a wealth of experience over the wolf demon), but he didn't seem to be bothered by the injuries. Tsuna could always heal them if they started to bother him anyway. Kyoya was currently battered and bruised, more so than his uncle, but with a satisfied, pleased smirk on his face. Tsuna had tried to offer her sun flames but the wolf just growled at her before walking off. He was prideful like that.

Tsuna was sitting on the porch, calmly grooming her wings with Reborn occasionally helping out. He seemed to be in a really good mood since yesterday but then again he got his seal yesterday and so could probably still be riding the high from that. Either way, he was more… affectionate (it was unusual that Reborn touched her so openly and in front of someone else, though it was only Fon who was in the area at the moment. Oh, he tended to do it a lot in private, becoming closer when they were alone but it was almost like he was… hesitant about doing it in public. It was strange, she thought, because Fon had once mentioned that he was a shameless flirt in the past and apparently becoming a child didn't stop that too much according to the storm, though it was taken as 'cute' rather than 'sexy' due to his appearance. Maybe it was because of his hitman status in the mafia? Tsuna didn't really know how Reborn felt about her, she knew he liked her quite a bit but not whether that was as a friend, family member or as a Mate) then he usually was this morning. All Tsuna really knew was that the hand currently running through her feathers was _distracting_. Fon immediately paused in his stretches for a moment before sighing in resignation, going through his last stretches a little quicker, wanting to finish.

Reborn narrowed his eyes, hands stilling for a moment before continuing much to Tsuna's reluctant enjoyment, "What man?" he questioned, voice suspicious, hearing Tsunahime's hidden disgust with said man. It wasn't very clear, only coming out as mild, but he was the World's Greatest Hitman and his bambina wasn't one to easily feel disgust towards someone.

Finishing his stretches, Fon stood, turning to look at Reborn, searching for something. Whatever he saw, caused his shoulders to hang, giving another sigh of resignation, seemingly surrendering to whatever fate he had envisioned, "One moment, I need to get something." he stated before disappearing inside the house.

As Fon was gone, Tsuna took the opportunity to inform Reborn about the man, stopping with her task of grooming her feathers as Reborn followed her example, sensing a serious conversation, "The man I was talking about is called Lui Qiang. He is the head of Fon's Clan."

Curiosity overtook Reborn, it was rare that he got any knowledge or insight about the personal lives of the other Arcobaleno. He didn't even know much about Skull's life, as the cloud held his life close to his chest. Reborn didn't go digging really, wanting to respect their privacy as they did his. He knew that whatever life they had before the curse would have been changed either way what with being a baby, a somewhat immortal baby at that and while Reborn would admit to being an arsehole, he wouldn't go ripping open old wounds like that for no important reason. They were his only constant in his life that he knew wouldn't die easily (back then, at least), even if he didn't like most of them. Viper, or Mammon, was probably the only one to know about their personal life, the parts they hadn't guarded closely at least, but even the miser let the others know if someone was asking about them, refusing to sell the information without their respective go ahead. Viper may not like them but he knew that knowledge was power and wasn't going to give someone a hand to blackmail them (or kill them), mostly because they could make his life hell, "Fon's clan?"

Tsuna opened her mouth to speak but Fon interrupted, coming back into view as he, too, sat down on the porch, a letter held in his hand, "Former clan now." Fon's smile gained a bitter edge, "I was banished and named a disgrace but that doesn't stop Qiang from thinking he can order me around." Well, that explained the bitterness. It also explained why his bambina's flames were curling with fury, he could almost feel the heat in the air from the flames. Tsuna was as protective and as possessive as her elements, it was in her sky nature, she was just subtler about it.

Reborn couldn't stop his eyebrow from raising in disbelief. A disgrace, Fon? Really? Fon was one of the most honourable people he knew. Granted, most of the people he knew nowadays were from the various parts of the Underworld so they weren't very honourable to begin with but the point still stood. It was pretty hard to be honourable in their line of work and the fact that Fon actually managed to do it was, reluctantly, impressive. Sure, Reborn had things he wouldn't do (like taking a hit on kids, for example) but he would certainly stab someone in the back if he could avoid having the same done to him. Fon, however, was surprisingly straightforward for an assassin. He couldn't imagine what Fon could have done for something that dire to happen. Fon, despite popular opinion, was a classic storm, the amount of discipline someone needed to hold back their nature was immense. Therefore, Fon had an almost unnatural amount of discipline and patience and he transferred that to everything he did. Reborn couldn't imagine Fon, of all people, breaking some rule and being banished because of that, "Banished, you?"

Fon's flame curled with slight amusement, feeling his disbelief, "You know I'm supernatural, right?"

Reborn nodded, unsure where the storm was going with this, Tsuna being content to stay silent for now, "You are related to Hibari and he's a full demon."

"Kyoya's mother is my little sister. She is an eastern dragon, same as me, but supernatural genetics tend to pick one supernatural gene over the other, it's safer that way, so Kyoya took after his father." Fon gave a little background and Reborn silently sorted that information out, nodding in understanding. It was amusing that Fon was a dragon, with the tattoo he had on his chest, though it suited him more than a wolf would have done, "The curse didn't only force me into a baby's form but stopped my ability to transform. Being the subject of a curse that a human casted -though I'm unsure about that, given the strength of the curse- and therefore being unable to turn into a dragon, Qiang considered it a disgrace and banished me."

He snorted, shaking his head in disbelief, disagreeing with that assessment completely. Sure, Fon was weaker in a baby's form, as they all were, and being unable to turn into a dragon was probably really uncomfortable for him (if Tsuna's comments about liking to be in her half-phoenix form while sleeping was anything to go on) but he wasn't a disgrace. Tsuna smiled sadly due to the topic, "Not all clans are like that but Qiang has certain… opinions. The Hibari Clan, for instance, doesn't care about the curse at all, only that Fon was still strong and took him in."

"Is a clan's protection needed?" asked Reborn. Fon was strong enough to take care of himself and if Reborn could take out the supernatural in his baby form then he was sure Fon could too.

Fon shrugged, "That depends on who you ask. It's mostly for the reputation but after the banishment having a clan to back me up helped." Fon didn't expand on why he'd need help in the first place but Reborn wasn't going to push, well, not yet. He could see this topic wasn't the easiest for him. It wouldn't had been for Reborn, having to admit that you were basically abandoned by what was, essentially, your family.

Staying with Tsuna was making Reborn soft, he knew it.

"Why did this Lui Qiang want you to come here then?" Reborn changed the subject and Fon's flame relaxed slightly though his body language gave nothing away.

Still, even with relaxing, Fon seemed to be uncomfortable and almost angry about something. The anger was hidden, buried within his flame, but the nervous energy was not. Tsunahime hummed, her sky wrapping around the storm and Reborn felt the spark of jealousy as he always did despite the fact that because she always the first to offer comfort to her family was one of the things that drew him in (she was so different from the mafia-born skies that he knew. Reborn could only be thankful for it, even if it made him twice as protective because he wanted to keep her as pure and bright as possible but the mafia was a bloody, dark world. A world that he had first dragged her in to). He wanted to keep her to himself but that was hardly right and his bambina would never agree to it either. Fortunately, Tsuna's flame wrapped around his own a second later, not wanting to leave him out.

Fon shifted, holding out a letter, "It would be easier if you were to read it. He bid me to give you this."

The phoenix tilted her head curiously like a cat (more like a cute, little kitten, with how fluffy and soft her hair was, thought Reborn with amusement), as she received the letter, taking in the wax seal of a roaring Chinese dragon. She opened it and read through the letter, an eyebrow slowly climbing further and further up her forehead in disbelief. Her flame echoing her expression before turning to annoyance that bordered on anger. Fon was completely still as she read through the letter, already knowing what it was saying. Curiosity and the need to not be the only who had no clue what was written on the letter, Reborn asked, "What does it say, bambina?"

"Apparently," Tsuna started off slowly as if still processing what she was about to say, "Lui Qiang would like me as a Mate…"

Reborn blinked, "What?" he demanded, flatly because that did not just happen. Out of the corner of his eye, Reborn say saw Fon's smile falter. Good, he clearly realised someone (meaning Lui Qiang) was going to die very soon.

Tsuna's expression was carefully blank as she passed the letter to him, "He is asking for my hand in marriage and wants to create a Mate bond." Her voice was as equally flat as Reborn's.

Reborn blinked again, eyes scanning the written hand on the letter before darkening, fedora shadowing his face. The hand that held the letter, twitched, the paper bursting into yellow flames, turned to ash before he wiped his hands absentmindedly. Reborn, personally, was imagining this Qiang character being the one to suddenly catch fire. Who did this Lui Qiang think he was? Tsuna was _his_! Because he was so into picturing this man's head being riddled with bullets (still on fire, mustn't forget that, even if he didn't know what the man looked like), Reborn didn't really think about looking up to Tsuna and stating very candidly with a possessive undertone, flames reacting and wrapping around Tsunahime, "You're mine." Well, not until after he said it. Not that Reborn was going to take back what he just said, he just thought that stating his claim was going to be different than this, preferably with a better catalyst than Lui Qiang. He saw Fon's smile quirk with amusement, eyes shining with humour. Reborn didn't really know what to think about being someone else source of entertainment either. Usually it was the other way around.

Tsuna startled, shocked and confused, looking at him closely, her cheeks turning slightly pink, before shaking her head, the blush, unfortunately, dying down, "Well, I wasn't going to accept." she spoke, sounding insulted that Qiang would even ask in the first place. Hm, Tsuna was going to ignore his claim, was she? He'd have to make it more clear… Reborn looked forward to it, just thinking about all the ways he could make Tsuna understand. Later though. Right now, he needed to know why this Qiang would even dare to ask Tsunahime - _his bambina_ \- to marry him.

"Do you know Qiang?"

"Gods no!" denied Tsuna and Reborn was slightly satisfied with how quick she was to do so, "At least not personally. Though what I've heard about him doesn't inspire me with a need to see him." Tsuna looked to Fon, "No offence, of course."

Fon's smile widened, "None taken. If I could, I'd show him why ordering me around is a bad idea. Unfortunately, being a clan head grants him some… leeway. Especially as he is my former head." Fon's tone was as completely polite as always.

Reborn snorted with amusement, "If it was me I wouldn't have bothered to hold back."

"Sadly, I do not have the same reputation as you do in the mafia within my clan, or in our community as a whole, to get away with something like that." And Fon did sound regretful about that too. He was curious about how Lui Qiang could test even Fon's patience as he was normally unflappable. Then again the same man did just ask Tsuna to marry him so he could only imagine what type of imbecile the clan head was.

He turned to Tsuna once more, "So you're going to refuse it?" his tone turned slightly darker due to the topic they were revisiting, not at all happy with the turn of events.

Tsuna nodded without hesitation which appeased Reborn some more, "Of course. Unfortunately, it isn't as easy as writing a letter."

"Oh?" Reborn purred out, dangerously, eyes glinting when he saw Tsuna's cheeks flush slightly, looking away quickly. Well, wasn't that something. It seemed that Tsuna quite liked it when he acted as threatening and deadly as he knew he could be. How _convenient_.

Fon looked as close to rolling his eyes at him as the passive storm could get but Reborn couldn't find it him to care, still hung up with the fact that someone was trying to claim what was his. Not that Tsuna was an object but Reborn's instincts made him quite possessive at the best of times. He would probably be a cloud if he wasn't a sun, "Lui Qiang is the head of a clan. It would be insulting to deny him in a letter and Lui Qiang is the type of person who would definitely make a fuss about it. We'll have to go to China and met with him personally." answered the Strongest Martial Artist. Hm, so they'd have to go there and met the man face to face. Well, maybe Reborn could show the clan leader why people didn't take from the World's Greatest Hitman. That didn't sound so bad, not at all. He wondered if the dragon would put up a challenge as he beat him into the ground.

Tsuna nodded once more in agreement, completely obvious to his thoughts, "On the plus side, I can make my opinion on Fon's banishment clear."

Fon startled, looking genuinely surprised before relaxing again, his smile almost turning into a grin, "There is no need to do that, Tsuna."

"There may be no need but it is something I want to do." she stated clearly, honesty shining in her voice before lowering it into an angry mutter, "Honestly, banishing someone for such an irrational reason. If I was there at that time…" her voice trailed off, stuck in her thoughts. Fon continued to smile happily, flames coming to settle amongst the sky, helpless gratitude emitting from them.

Reborn could sympathise.

* * *

Tsunahime hummed happily to herself inside the kitchen, busying herself with the meal she was preparing. She wasn't brilliant at cooking but her dear mother had shown her the ropes so she knew the basics. It the was least she could do, cooking a meal every so often, instead of the servants, as a thank you for allowing her and the children as well as Reborn to stay over. Iemitsu was still with Timoteo and so still in Japan. They'd be leaving soon but by that time she'd be in China by the looks of things. Tsuna was glad that she asked Reborn, and later Fon, for some Chinese lessons when I-Pin became apart of the family (I-Pin wasn't bonded with her but it could happen. Flames were usually instinctive but that didn't mean she had no control over them and bonding was a two way street. I-Pin would need to get older in order to understand what a bond was before they could harmonise. Lambo was only able to do it because he was supernatural and had instinctive knowledge about it. It was sort of like how a fish knew how to swim once it was born). Tsuna felt that it was important to be able to communicate with the ear-less child in her native language, especially when her Japanese wasn't fluent at the moment, though it was getting better with two people to speak to and learn from. Understanding and playing with Lambo was a very good motivator too. At any rate, it certainly seemed to help settle the little one in by learning the language.

Tsuna found her thoughts turning to this morning, as she continued to cook. Really, getting an letter asking for her hand in marriage was ridiculous. Completely unbelievable, Tsuna thought, remembering what happened. It wasn't that she was getting a marriage proposal at all (though she certainly wasn't expecting one), she was an adult, nearly sixteen now, and because of her status as a phoenix she supposed that it would be more likely that she would receive one than most, given how rare and powerful they were, as well as the fact that she was becoming pretty well-known due to her part in protecting and providing for Namimori. Tsuna was no less annoyed and angry though. She had never even officially met the dragon and he was asking for a Mate bond! She felt insulted that he would dare to ask for something like that, to make a mockery of their one of their oldest traditions. A Mate bond was sacred. Once you entered into one, there was no getting out of it. Sure, arranged marriages were a thing but not arranged Mate bonds. He didn't even want her as a wife. No, he wanted her as a trophy wife! Tsuna had heard of his 'exploits'. He had a line of women in the past whom he was mainly with to make himself look better. Each he discarded once he viewed himself 'better' than them (not that he viewed himself below them in any way if the rumours were to be trusted). None was ever his wife per say but that was only because he 'hadn't found the right one', or some other such nonsense that he had claimed. Tsuna shook her head, absentmindedly cutting up green beans and carrots, all that man cared about was his image and having a phoenix as a wife? That would certainly up his status within the supernatural community, a union between a phoenix and a dragon. However, Tsuna wasn't stupid nor she wasn't in the habit of being with someone simply because they asked her. She was a romantic at heart and believed in long term relationships. She did not marry someone (nevermind create a Mate bond with someone) who would only think of her as some expensive accessory.

(It was probably a by-product of having to watch her mother deceive herself, even if she didn't know she was doing it, in order to keep herself even the slightest bit sane because her 'father' couldn't be bothered to make some time in the day to at least call. Heck, he had been in town for some time now and he wasn't even bothering to properly make some time so he could spend with Nana. Instead, he had been watching Timoteo sleep. Well, not literally, at least, Tsuna hoped not, but the point still stood. That man was married to his work but Tsuna couldn't understand why he proclaimed his undying love for her mother if he wasn't committed to her in the first place.

Tsuna knew Iemitsu had no idea what a Mate bond was but with Nana's phoenix side sealed away he could stay away for months and it wouldn't affect her negatively as long as he came back. But he hadn't.

He never didn't.)

Anyway, Tsuna didn't really like to judge someone on rumours or hearsay but she knew Lui Qiang wasn't someone she wanted to get involved with. Her intuition made that quite clear.

Thinking about someone she'd want to get involved with, Tsuna's thoughts turned to Reborn and his rather… strange statement he'd made. She was pretty sure he didn't mean to say something like that, though, her mind whispered, he didn't take his words back. Still, it was a silly thought. When she got rid of the curse properly, Reborn would probably want to restart his life and while she was his sky that didn't mean he'd want to start a life with her. Even though he tended to act different around her than anyone else, being more affectionate to her, or that he allowed her to cuddle him (and she did like to do that though Reborn hugging her was pretty nice too, she'd found) and tease him despite his violent reaction afterwards. Though, it wasn't that violent as he never hit her hard enough to hurt her unless they were sparring. Plus, he didn't mind answering her questions with straight answers, well, at least most of the time and he did seem quite protective of her. Tsuna blinked, gears turning in her head as her hand stilled. Could he…? No, she shook her head, it couldn't be. After all, the protectiveness could be attributed to being bonded to her sky soul flames. Though, he was like that before they bonded…

Tsuna blushed, shaking her head again, putting the cut vegetables into the streamer and getting the steak out of the fridge, she shouldn't really be thinking about such things.

No matter how unfairly handsome he was in his adult form…

"What are you making, bambina?" Tsuna jumped, dropping the container of steak on the counter, thankfully not spilling its contents, and spinning to face Reborn with a startled expression, having not heard him enter (and really, she should have done with her supernatural senses but Reborn was Reborn and so was exempt of those sort of things, apparently). Reborn was in his adult form, though Leon wasn't with him, which was unfair because as stated before it was difficult to look at Reborn like this without giving an embarrassing reaction. Still, Tsuna managed it, relaxing and giving an easy smile, wondering how long Reborn had been standing there before giving away his position. She hoped it wasn't too long because she really didn't want to explain what was going through her head.

"Hamburger steak." she answered, "It's Kyoya's favourite." Reborn gave an absent noise of understanding but didn't say anything else. He was just standing there, a smirk stretched across his face as he looked intently at her. Tilting her head, she allowed a confused expression to settle on her face, "Was there something that you wanted, Reborn?" His smirk widened, walking so close that Tsuna had to step back, craning her neck up, to properly see his face because he was really tall as an adult (though Japanese people weren't the tallest people out there, generally speaking of course, because Takeshi was pretty tall for someone of Japanese descent, so maybe it was because she was small). Her back hit the counter lightly as Reborn boxed her in with his arms, looking down at her. She blinked, trying not to think about the position she was now in, "Reborn?" she asked, hesitantly.

"Lui Qiang can't have you." he stated, blandly, as if he was reporting about the weather but his eyes darkened slightly, showing that this conversation was to be taken seriously.

Tsuna nodded, agreeing, still very confused about why she couldn't have this conversation with more personal space available to her, "He's not going to." she replied. Reborn smirked, approvingly, reaching with a hand to lift a piece of her hair and twirl it around his finger.

Tsunahime twitched unable to stop the heat rushing to her cheeks and was pretty sure it went further down when he brought her captured lock of hair on his lips and kissed it, "You're mine." he said, repeating his earlier statement that echoed the same possessive tone.

Tsuna swallowed heavily, nodding a little shakily, wondering what the hell was going through her sun's head, "You are one of my bonded." she responded, eyes locked onto her lock her hair that Reborn went back to playing with before looking back at the hitman.

Reborn looked faintly annoyed by her answer, eyebrows furrowed, which didn't make much sense as Tsunahime knew he was quite proud (and annoyingly smug) about being one of her Own. He dropped the lock of hair before his annoyed expression lit up, turning back into a smirk, though this one had a more mischievous edge to it. Quickly, too quick for her to really do anything about it, Reborn had leaned down and suddenly she realised his lips were on her own. The hand, that was playing with her hair, supported the back of her head, tilting it back for a better angle. Startled, she reached out to grip the back of his suit jacket, kissing back hesitantly, not wanting to lose balance as Reborn put more weight on his hand resting upon the counter, pressing more firmly against her, making an approving sound. He nibbled on her bottom lip, earning a squeak of surprise from her before he pulled away (though not further than an inch), an air of satisfaction about him, "You are _mine_." he purred and suddenly his words meant something completely different.

Tsuna, still dazed from what just happened and her mind slow to react, blinked, suddenly understanding.

 _Oh_.

* * *

 **So... It's finally happened! Was it okay? Not too out of nowhere? I don't think I've made Reborn OOC, I can see him saying something like this but tell me what you guys think. I don't know why but Reborn seriously reminds me of a cat, you know, one of those cats that have an impossibly smug face all the time, walking around and claiming "That's mine." and hisses when you try to take it back (which I admit, is most cats). Then before you know it, you've got an arm full of claw marks... can anyone guess that I've got a cat...?**

 **Anyway, we'll be having two (maybe three) chapters on Lui Qiang before the next arc comes up. I really don't want to rush through everything and forget to add anything important so... Please bear with me, the chapters will be concentrating on the supernatural side so they'll have a lot of world building in them. They'll be a fighting scene as well though!**

 **See ya next time, people!**


	39. Chapter 39

Chapter Thirty Nine

 _Tsuna, still dazed from what just happened and her mind slow to react, blinked, suddenly understanding._

 _Oh._

* * *

Reborn was quite proud of himself as he reluctantly pulled away, wanting to do so much more than a simple kiss but restrained that thought with his iron will. This was his bambina, not some random woman he had picked up at a bar, he was going to do this slowly (or as slowly as he was capable of) as to not scare her away. Despite it only being a kiss, Tsuna still made for a beautiful image. She had turned an adorable shade of red, the blush disappearing under the collar of her shirt (he idly wondered how far it went before pulling himself from that line of thought. He only had so much self-control after all and that seemed like an easy way to break it). Her lips were still slightly parted from the kiss, wet with a hint of saliva, eyes wide and dazed. His hand was still buried within her soft tresses giving her a slightly dishevelled look...

He wanted to kiss her again.

His bambina blinked, still clutching him like a lifeline and Reborn couldn't find it in himself to be annoyed by the creases his suit must surely have by now. Her eyebrows furrowed slightly as if trying to figure something out (he probably wasn't helping by being so close, he thought smugly, well aware of the effect he had) and Reborn couldn't help the nervous feeling that bubbled up. How strange. It had been a long time since he had felt nervous but it figured that Tsuna would be the one to invoke such a feeling, "Yours?" she echoed, her hands relaxing slightly but still staying where they were. Reborn wasn't complaining. He quite liked how close they were at the moment, their breaths mingling, her scent so close to him. It sent a pleasant buzz through his mind, their flames pressing as close as their bodies were, perhaps even closer. Her eyes cleared, gaining a mischievous glint, "Does that also mean you are mine as well?" she asked, tilting her head in that adorable way of hers.

His bambina _really_ wasn't helping his self-control by asking such things in such an innocent tone of voice, "As long as you're still mine." he purred out, feeling her shiver beneath him. Ah, this really wasn't helping his self-control. He could see himself growing quite possessive of these reactions she was giving him. Though, it wasn't like she'd be giving these reactions to someone else, he'd make sure of that. He chuckled, giving her a moment to compose herself though she just blushed helplessly again. Yes, he was going to be possessive of these expressions, he thought to himself.

It was strange, Reborn thought to himself. If anyone had said that to him, dare to say and lay claim to him, he'd make sure they couldn't say anything else ever again. He was Reborn, the World's Greatest Hitman, he belonged to no one, answered to no one. He had been a freelancer in the mafia even before he was 'Reborn' and valued that freedom immensely. But this was his sky, he already belonged to her just as she belonged to him so while it was strange, it wasn't uncomfortable like he thought it would be. Besides, his freelancer days were probably over once his bambina became the head of the Vongola Family, he couldn't see himself spending so much time away from her, not able to protect her and care for her as well as he would be able to do if he didn't ally himself more closely to Vongola. Still, that only meant he'd be taking orders from his bambina and Tsuna didn't really order her Own that often, asking for favours or requests first, so it wouldn't be tying him down or damage his pride too much (but she was his _sky_ and taking orders from said sky wasn't something that could damage his pride because it was his sky… Plus, commanding, authoritative Tsunahime was as appealing to him as angry Tsunahime was).

"I don't do short term relationships." Tsuna warned, her voice surprisingly level despite the blush marking her cheeks.

"It's convenient, then, that I wasn't looking for a short term relationship." Reborn replied, he didn't want to share his bambina with anyone else (unless it was their bonded family but even then they wouldn't have her the way he did), his eyes sliding down to rest on her lips, _really_ wanting to kiss her again. He found himself leaning just a little bit forwards to do just that but one of her hands, that were resting on his back, came around on lay flat against his chest, a light pressure against him, telling him to stop. With every ounce of his control, Reborn gave an annoyed grunt and stopped his motion with a scowl.

"That means you'll be my Intended Mate, Reborn."

Reborn had no idea what that really meant so he reluctantly asked, "Intended Mate?" Don't get Reborn wrong, he loved learning new things but he had quickly discovered that he loved kissing his bambina more, even if he had only done it once.

"It's basically like being engaged, only instead of a wedding you're waiting for, it's a Mate bond." she answered simply, understanding that he didn't have the patience for an in depth version at the moment.

"That's fine." Reborn should really ask what a Mate bond even was but he had much better things to do at the moment, "I'm kissing you now, bambina."

He cut off her laugh with his lips.

* * *

Fon smiled, having found Reborn kissing Tsuna when he went to ask when food was going to be ready. By the looks of things, Reborn wouldn't be letting the little sky go for a while. It showed how invested he was in kissing the living daylights out of Tsunahime that Reborn didn't even notice his presence as he wasn't doing much to mask it beyond what he normally did. He obviously didn't like Lui Qiang's letter and decided to hurry up and make it clear what he wanted from Tsunahime. It was about time, Fon hadn't known Reborn could be so patient about something. Fon was glad, because this meant Reborn would be in a good mood and he wouldn't try and make Fon's life hell for being the messenger of a marriage proposal (and a Mate bond, apparently, he had _not_ been told about that part. He knew Lui Qiang cared only for himself but to dare to ask for something like that...) to the one he was obviously courting. He raised his phone and took a picture, sending it to the other elements (all on a secure line of course) with a slight smirk edging his smile.

The dragon withheld his chuckle as he soon got replies back, each demanding details, creeping back into the shadows before he could get caught.

* * *

Tsuna hummed curiously as she heard the doorbell sound. She didn't go to it though, knowing one of the servants were probably already making their way over to handle it, and continued to set the table. Her intuition told her to cook for a lot more people than those that lived within the mansion walls so she guessed her elements were coming to visit. Reborn was watching her from his seat, having changed back into a baby once she finally convinced him that yes, she did need to cook food and no, she couldn't do it while making out with him. It probably took as long as it did because she didn't really want to stop his actions as he, no doubt, noticed due to how insufferably smug he was being.

"Oya oya, what's this about my darling having a Mate?" Mukuro asked as he, and the other elements, came into view. Tsuna sighed, wondering how they had even found out yet but then again when it came to her, her elements wanted to know anything and everything important. That belief only increase once they found out that she had… omitted... the part of her life where she could have been sealed.

"Intended Mate, Mukuro." she corrected, finishing with the table and turning to look at him, because there was a huge difference between a Mate and an Intended one.

He waved a hand, dismissively, "Same thing." he disagreed, his sly smile widening, "After all, I doubt our resident hitman will let you go now that he has you." She saw Reborn smirk out of the corner of her eye and concluded that he was of the same opinion as Mukuro. Her elements sat down at the table, waiting patiently for the food.

"Haha, You'll will treat our sky correctly, right?" asked Takeshi, eyes sharp, looking at Reborn. The other elements stopped what they were doing to also look at the hitman, solidifying how serious they were.

He sighed, like this as a completely unnecessary conversation, which it was. Reborn wouldn't do anything to hurt her knowingly, that much was proven when she jumped the gun and thought Reborn thought her as shallow when clearly he didn't if his reaction afterwards was anything to go by, "Who do you think I am?" he questioned with a scowl, sounding offended that someone would even need to ask something like that in the first place. Everyone sighed, expecting that they wouldn't have gotten an actual answer (it was Reborn they were talking to. He didn't answer anyone's questions apart from Tsuna's properly and he wasn't one for announcing his love to the world either, well, at least not in the conventional sense) but the tone of voice satisfied them. Reborn wouldn't do anything to harm their shared sky. Fon watched the whole thing play out like an amusing reality television show.

(Fon wondered how long it would take Reborn to notice that Tsuna was practically surrounded by over-protective siblings who wouldn't hesitate to threaten and maim him if he so much as hurt one hair on Tsuna's head. Though giving the smirk on Mukuro's face, that was slowly growing over time, he would probably keep the hitman busy for a while. That fox was too similar to Reborn sometimes, given his trolling tendencies, and seemed more than willing to bait the sun.)

"We had to ask." grumbled Hayato, defending himself.

"That's extremely right, Iemitsu isn't going to do it." Ryohei added with a frown. They all darkened at that reminder. The thing was that Iemitsu, when he found out about the relationship as the rest of the mafia would eventually, he'd probably try to play the over-protective parent card but he really didn't have any right to do so. And her mother wasn't all there and so probably wouldn't even think about disagreeing. Not that Tsuna wanted her mother to disagree in the first place but it was a sort of right of passage that all parents did.

Lambo tugged at her clothes, gaining her attention, I-Pin at his side, watching curiously, "Tsu-nee likes Reborn?" He was always so well-behaved when she was around. Well, he tried to be because he still did act out every so often, but the little cow-bull child tried and Tsuna loved him for it.

Kyoya nodded, answering the question, "They are the alpha pair now."

Lambo, bless him, seemed to understand what had been said because he nodded, completely serious (which looked ridiculously adorable on his face), "As long as Tsu-nee and Reborn like each other properly, that's fine."

Tsuna blinked, amused, "Well, my thanks for your blessing, Lambo." Reborn half-heartedly grumbled about the 'brat'.

He grinned at her, all cute innocence, and that was that.

* * *

"Y-you're going to China then?" asked Chrome, once they had finished with their dinner, Kyoya was extremely pleased by what had been made.

"Apparently," Tsuna hummed, "It's not like I can just send him a letter, no matter how much easier that would make things."

Kyoya scowled, "That clan leader is a herbivore. A _self-important_ herbivore." Her lips twitched in an effort to not look completely amused by how offended he sounded by the man's very existence.

"We're coming with you right?" asked Hayato.

"You can't all come, it'll be too crowded. Plus, I don't want to send the wrong impression to Qiang." turning up with nine dangerous elements would give the impression that she'd rather solve the problem with violence after all, which she doesn't want to do. Even if Reborn's glances to Leon wasn't very promising when the topic was brought up, "Do any of you know chinese?" she asked instead.

Kyoya and Mukuro (the fox having entered a chinese man's mind at one point, granting him the knowledge of the language on a whim one day, mostly because he was a fugitive and he wanted to make sure no one in the triads would come after him) nodded before turning to look at each other disgruntled, realising that they'd have to spend an extended time in each others' personal space. Said personal space was quite large when it came to one another. Kyoya would need to have come anyway, being born into the Hibari clan and could defend, or take offence, on Fon's behalf. Whether Fon was actually insulted would be a coin flip though as Kyoya was generally quick to anger. Though Fon could make his own opinions known, sometimes it was better to get as many bases covered as possible.

Had Tsuna mentioned how much she hated politics? Because she did. She _really_ did, even if she knew how to navigate them.

"Well, that's convenient. If Chrome stays here, then we can communicate easily enough if we don't have excess to a phone." Though Leon could turn into a phone, communicating via mist link was a lot more discrete.

"Fon and I will take care of the tickets." announced Reborn, Fon nodding at his side easily enough.

* * *

Getting tickets to China wasn't that difficult. Getting tickets _and_ boarding the plane without setting off Timoteo and Iemitsu was more difficult by comparison (though that wasn't saying much, she realised). She recognised a few of the men's lackeys milling around the airport, all wearing black suits. Not that unusual, given the fact that Timoteo was a mafia boss and therefore needed protection (which meant knowing who was coming into town). Tsunahime didn't doubt that there would probably be some men hiding around the train station as well. Luckily, they seemed to be more focused about who was coming in the country rather than going out and so sneaking past them wasn't overly hard.

It didn't help their case that they weren't massively well trained. Though Reborn did scowl at that.

The plane ride wasn't too long either, which was good because Kyoya was dangerously twitching by the end of it and Mukuro was having too much fun riling him up, being about three and a half hours long. The food was disgusting though, tasting like cardboard and air, hardly having any flavour. They were on a public plane, it being easier to catch due to the two day notice they gave and it aroused less suspicion, though Reborn and Fon apparently paid for bigger seats. Something, Tsuna was glad for, though they weren't a massive improvement from the other ones from what she could see. She had never been on a plane before but those seats were ridiculously small. It didn't help that they were essentially in a flying metal box, all squished together. It felt strange, flying without using her own wings.

Nor did it help that they had to bluff their way onto the plane in the first place. Reborn and Fon being of an adult age in the human community but looking like babies (both didn't want to use up their time on a plane and being a baby granted you more room to move around anyway). Luckily, both were adept in the art of lying and got them through, however Fon looked faintly annoyed and Reborn was muttering something about that was why he preferred private planes by the end of it.

Tsuna was just glad that none of the hostesses mistook Reborn as her baby brother (like Haru Miura did) because that would have been beyond awkward with their relationship now.

Arriving at Shanghai, which was where they were going in China, was an interesting experience to say the least. Everything was busy, a cluster of flowing people, moving from one place to another at a fast pace. She was never more glad that Fon was there. He easily navigated them out of the airport and into the actual city itself. Said city was beautiful. There was massive skyscrapers, each reaching an impressive height and different smells and sounds assaulted her before she pushed them away to concentrate on where they were going. While a lot of the city was modernised, there was also more traditional areas as well. Fon was leading them to those types of areas, as it was closer to the eastern dragon clan.

Shanghai, as a city, wasn't all that dangerous, apparently, according to Fon. The triads didn't have as much influence here (though they did have some), than they did in other cities, mainly because this area was a big tourist hotspot so the local police really cracked down. Of course, they was crime but every city had some, no place was crime free after all, but generally speaking in was a pretty safe city as long as you didn't go looking for trouble. The fact that all of they spoke chinese, however new she was to the language, lowered the risk quite a lot. That and she was with Kyoya, Mukuro, Reborn and Fon. She doubted anything would happen to her and she could take care of herself as well if need be.

Tsuna hummed curiously as she felt a barrier drift over her, looking around. Reborn was wrapped up in her sky flame, so the barrier didn't affect him. The barrier, from what she could sense from it, was supposed to deter humans but Reborn was on her shoulder, not actually walking, and his own will power would have probably nulled the effect if he knew where they were going.

Traditional Chinese buildings looked similar to Japanese buildings though they used brighter colours than her own culture tended to do, she found. Plus, the building used a lot more gold accents than what she was used to seeing. The eastern dragon clan's building was large, having multiple floors, the roofs were curved outwards, not looking that different from a traditional Japanese roof. Red and gold with some purple being the most prominent colours she could see. A Chinese dragon statue was wrapped around the edge of the building's roof, the head looking at them, the maw of the beast, roaring. The front doors were guarded by two stiff looking dragons, though looking human, wearing a similar style clothing as Fon, though they were dyed a dull grey colour instead of red.

Continuing to walk up the stairway, past the gateway and leading to the stairway, the two guards pointed their spears at them, seeing Fon sitting on my shoulder, "Feng, you were banished from the clan, you cannot be here." the one on the left spoke, his hair was black and short, just reaching the nape of his neck. The one on the right had slightly longer black hair, tied up in a loose bun. Tsuna smiled slightly, by rights they should be attacking Fon now, trespassing on their land, so it seemed that not everyone fully agreed with their leader's decision, even if they couldn't say so outright, giving Fon a warning showed that much.

Stepping forwards, she ignored the spear pointed at her chest, "I am Tsunahime. I had received a… proposal by Lui Qiang. I would like to personally respond. Fon, as well as the others with me, have come as my elements."

The one on the right wavered slightly at her name, obviously recognising it, looking at Fon in shock. The storm smiled at him, completely at peace. The one who spoke first nodded to the other guard and both lowered their weapons, bowing slightly, "Please wait here, Lady Tsunahime. Huang shall see if Lord Qiang is available to see you." The right one, Huang, bowed again and disappeared inside.

After about five minutes waiting in relative silence, Mukuro breaking it every so often to laugh, unnerving the guard, Huang reappeared with a bow, "Please follow me, Lady Tsunahime, I shall lead you to Lord Qiang. The others may follow you."

Tsuna nodded and calmly followed the dragon, smiling politely at the other guard. The interior of the clan building was as traditional as the exterior. And had the whole dragon motif going on as well. The interior was, again, shared some similarities to the japanese style and the thin walls had various designs of dragons in motion. Some were on their own, others killing what was depicted as a western dragon (not surprising, those two clans had been at war, both hot and cold, since they discovered the other existed) and others fighting with other supernatural creatures as a sign of whatever alliance they had in the past. Personally, it looked a bit much for Tsuna (who tended to prefer simpler things) but see could see why Fon was so hurt by the banishment, apart from the obvious reasons. This could have been quite the nice home.

Huang led the group through the hallway and into a courtyard. It was bordered by the walls of the mansion but was big enough to not look or feel trapped by the building. It was clear that the garden was well maintained as the grass was a lush green and the flowers, colourful. Plus, it held quite the peaceful aura, the small pond in the corner slowly trickling out water from the small handmade waterfall adding to the sound of rustling leaves. Tsunahime didn't have much time to admire it because she was soon led through the courtyard/garden and to a porch, the opposite side from which she entered. Huang knocked twice, "My Lord, Lady Tsunahime and her elements have come to see you." he announced formally.

Tsuna heard faint movement from inside the room before he, she assumed Lui Qiang, ordered, "Enter." in a clear, deep, commanding voice. A voice that dripped with arrogance and self-importance.

* * *

Extra, part one:

"Ah, Bat, thank you for picking up..." Tsuna acknowledged, holding her cell phone to her ear, thankful that she was able to get a little peace and quiet to herself for a while. It was becoming a rare commodity since Reborn entered her life. Not that she was ungrateful, but it was nice, being able to hear herself think without the background noise of one of her elements creating some sort of chaos.

"I'm busy, Tsunahime." Bat informed, not snidely, just bluntly, as was Bat's way of talking.

"Yes, I know." And Tsuna did know, while she wasn't as informed about curse breaking as Bat was, she still knew it was a difficult, time-consuming job. Especially due to the fact that the curse was so old, still this was important, "However, I was wondering if I could get some information, at your usual rate, of course."

There was a pause, then, "What do you want to know?"

A smirk twitched onto Tsuna's face, "What can you find out about the mafia Italian family Cervello?"

"Cervello? The same Cervello who presided over the ring battle which resulted in your elements' poisoning?" Ah, it seemed Bat knew exactly why Tsuna would ask for such information if she knew that much. Well, that certainly made things easier, she should know what sort of information she'll want and narrow it down.

"The very same." Tsunahime said simply, an edge to her voice after being reminded of _why_ she was going out of her way to do this, even after knowing that Bat was quite busy. Tsuna felt a little guilty knowing she was adding to the bat demon's workload but Bat wouldn't have asking for further knowledge about the subject if she couldn't handle it.

The phoenix could hear the moving of papers and the quiet murmuring of voices, one was Bat's and the other a male, before, "I'll see what I can do."

Tsuna let out a sigh of relief, truly happy, "Thank you, Bat, I know I'm asking a lot with your current project-"

"Bambina?!" called Reborn, distantly, in another room, "We need to leave in ten minutes for us to be on time to catch our plane."

Putting a hand over her cell phone, she called back down the hall, "Be right there!" before putting the phone to ear once more, "Sorry, Bat, I've got to go. I hope to hear from you soon."

"I will inform you when I've gotten enough information together." Bat replied and a second later the phone call ended, the bat demon having hung up. Tsuna continued to smile happily as she picked up her bag and placed the phone into her pocket, heading down the hall for Reborn. Given the banging sounds she could hear, Kyoya and Mukuro must have been waiting too but had gotten a little impatient.

 _No one_ messed with her family and got away with it and soon the Cervello would learn that.

However painful that lesson may end up being...

* * *

 **And that this chapter done!**

 **I've called Fon, 'Feng' in this chapter because that the Chinese pronunciation of it, or something to that affect. I think this an actual name for it, but is slipping my mind at the moment. I wanted to show that they were speaking Chinese without attempting to write Chinese because, well, I'd be using google translate for that and I don't what to be relying on that for a whole chapter's dialogue. Google translate really isn't the best when it comes to putting sentences together...**

 **Like the extra? I couldn't put it in the chapter becasue it'd mess up the flow so I put it at the end instead. Got a little bit of dark, protective Tsuna in there! Don't worry, they'll be another part that I'll put at the end of another chapter later on.**

 **Anyway, thanks for the feedback guys, it's been pretty positive which I'm really thankful for! None of you seem to think Reborn is out of character, which is a load off. I want to shout out Fannonyme, Shadow Elf Warrior and Lady La-sara. There is, of course, others, but I'd be here all day writing them down. Thank you all for your reviews, once again! I hope you've enjoyed the chapter and I'll see you guys next time!**


	40. Chapter 40

**First off, I want to apologise for not posting anything in a few weeks, we've been decorating in our house so everything has been pretty busy and on top of all the work in need to do at college I really didn't have any time to make any chapters or post them. Thankfully, most of the decorating has been done now so I should be able to post regularly again. Once again, I'm really sorry and hope you guys and forgive me.**

 **Now that's done, please enjoy this long awaited chapter!**

* * *

Chapter Forty

 _Tsuna heard faint movement from inside the room before he, she assumed Lui Qiang, ordered, "Enter." in a clear, deep, commanding voice. A voice that dripped with arrogance and self-importance._

* * *

Huang nodded to Tsunahime and opened the door for her but made no move to enter so she did instead. She walked sure-footed into the room, Mukuro and Kyoya following sedately behind, and calmly looked around, letting none of her actual curiosity show on her face or flames. There was a low table, with only two pillows (one already taken) as seats, in the middle of the room. The walls were, once again, colourful though this time instead of only depicting a dragon, there was a phoenix flying as well, a Chinese dragon twirling around it as the phoenix's wings were stretched and shining with orange flames. Tsuna mentally frowned at that, seeing that the painting as new, as the colours were slightly brighter than the ones she had previously seen, not really sure what to make of it. She didn't like the fact that Qiang had already made a painting of a union between a phoenix and a dragon as it was like he thought her accepting his proposal as a sure thing.

Lui Qiang, himself, was wearing a golden coloured changshan, which was basically a Chinese male dress or robe, with his sleeve cuffs being red. He had pale skin and severe dark purple eyes. His face didn't have any laugh lines and his mouth was set in disinterest until he rested his eyes on her and it turned into a faint smirk. It held nothing on Reborn's. His hair was black, held in a tight bun at the back of his head with his fringe swept sideways. He had a small goatee growing. Tsuna supposed he was quite attractive, but, well, she had Reborn as her Intended Mate which the Chinese man couldn't really hold a candle too. Not to mention, the man's flames were pretty off putting as well. The head dragon was currently sitting on his knees at the head of the low table.

Tsuna bowed slightly in a Chinese greeting, not low enough to be submitting but being polite all the same, "Lord Lui Qiang." she greeted, voice steady.

His smirk increased, "Ah, welcome, welcome!" he addressed, gesturing to the seat at the other end of the table, the one closer to the door, voice raised slightly in his excitement, "I assume you're here to accept my proposal, come, sit. There was no need for you to bring escorts, least of all babies, however." Tsuna blinked, feeling a bit overwhelmed, as he didn't even give her a chance to deny his assumptions before he then went onto insulting two of her elements. Oh, wow. She knew she wouldn't like the man, but, _wow_. That was sort of impressive, the amount of arrogance he could fit into that sentence. Also, very annoying. She saw Reborn scowl before he shadowed the expression. Kyoya was a lot more open with his disdain. Fon and Mukuro just wearing smiles that looked sharper than they should have any right to be.

She used the righteous anger gained from this imbecile insulting her elements to knock herself out of the shunned silence she was in, sitting down on the only pillow available. She wanted to ask for some more for her family members to sit on but this shouldn't take too long. Tsuna was only going to deny his proposal and shove it in the dragon's face just how brilliant Fon was. Her fox and wolf stood behind her as Fon and Reborn stayed on her shoulders, "You are aware these two 'babies' are not what they appear. Do not patronise them. It is my family you are insulting." she let the comment hang in the air, an unspoken threat. Qiang stilled for a moment, probably only just remembering why the phoenix is not only respected but _feared_ before his flames curls in irritated anger, obviously not used to being told what to do, "And I have come to deny your proposal, not accept it." she stated simply, knowing she should probably be more delicate about it but this was the man that hurt her storm and then insulted him the moment he'd seen him. Tsuna couldn't find any of the needed patience to play politics with him.

Qiang's shimmering anger turned to raging fury as it twists his smirk into a dark, ugly snarl. Tsuna was, despite herself, pleased with the effect she had. He got his face under control, carefully blank of emotion, though made no effort to do the same with his flame which put her elements on edge, even if they didn't show it. "That is a mistake," he said, as if he was something that she should inspire to be with, "I would be able to give you many things. I'll even welcome that disgrace into the clan again if you so wish it." he announced, sounding like he was amazingly generous to offer such a thing.

To the surprise of everyone, it was not Tsunahime who lashed out at the insult but Fon. The one who was normally so level-headed that it was both impressive and unnerving. Fon, who was currently so enraged that anyone would _dare_ think to use him as a way to get to _his sky_. His usual placid smile was gone and while he wasn't baring his teeth it was a near thing, eyes glowing blood red with his storm flame. His shadow twisting angrily, creating his adult form behind him, too long for his current form, "You dare use me as a way to get to my sky?" Fon demanded, his voice is either quiet or loud, but the intent behind it is a heavy thing. It spoke of the hidden rage between his eternal tranquil smile. His hands twitched once before his control took over incase he lashed out, red flame licking up his arms, thoughts of destruction occupying his mind. Reborn didn't bat an eyelash, Tsuna guessed that he knew Fon was, despite his calm nature, a classic storm and for all his control, sometimes there are things you just have to say. Kyoya smirked out of the corner of her eye, it was a vicious, feral thing, while she could hear Mukuro's laugh, illusions just out of reach.

Qiang's blank expression falters, fear and shock showing themselves like an hideous scar, before the dragon reverted back to his previous expression and stilled his shaking hands, Fon wasn't just feared in the triads it seemed, "You should not even be here, Feng. It is by my good will that you walk these halls again." he sneered, hate lacing his voice like a poison. Tsuna couldn't help but think there is a story there. That perhaps Qiang had more of a problem with Fon that isn't just about the curse he was under.

Tsunahime squashed down her need to defend her Own, she could sense that Fon wanted to be the one to deal with this and so she reluctantly kept quiet, her flames at Fon's back reminding him that his family is with him and if he needs help he only needs to ask. Still, she felt the need clawing at her throat but stubbornly kept still. Let it not be said, however, that her bonded had the same type of control as she did. Kyoya growled, the sound bouncing off the walls, deep and threatening, gleaming teeth bared, "Be silent herbivore, the annoying carnivore is one of my pack."

Qiang's eye flickered to Hibari, finally giving him more than a passing glance, his lips pursed together, a flicker of disapproval in his eyes. Tsuna narrowed her eyes slightly, he clearly recognised who Kyoya was and the family he came from but didn't seem to think that much of him. Which was wrong. The Hibari clan was well-known in pretty much any social circle within their community. They were famous for their uncompromising stance when in came to their territory and their strength. If someone attacked them and their land they'd find themselves up against demons (and by that, Tsuna doesn't mean the supernatural demon because the Hibari clan scared even the supernatural sometimes. You didn't want to go up against them). If that group managed to win by some form of miracle then the Hibari clan would come back with a vengeance. They would keep going back until they won and killed the trespassers, even if they kept losing people. In the end, most just considered it fool-hardy and didn't attack the Hibari clan, some bending over backwards so they didn't need to.

The Hibari clan preferred it that way.

Kyoya snarled at the look Qiang had given him but Mukuro mockingly patted the wolf's arm, "Now, now, Kyoya-chan, the lizard clearly can't see anything apart from his own ego. It's not his fault." Tsuna was impressed that her wolf didn't attack the mist for crowding him but he was clearly pacified, though only barely, by the insult thrown at the dragon. Reborn was the only one to remain silent but his dark, severe eyes shown his disdain of the man in front of him. Leon was inching closer to his human's hand, currently sitting on the hitman's shoulder.

Qiang turned an interesting shade of red, on the edge of purple, "L-lizard?!" he bellowed, "How da-!"

Fon regained his smiled, vicious satisfaction lining the edge, as he smoothly cut in, "Now, Qiang, there's no need to get angry. Mukuro sometimes forgets that telling the truth isn't always the best solution. I'm sure he didn't mean to hurt your feelings."

Mukuro laughed, "Kufufufu, of course not. I was just wondering how a _lizard_ thought he was good enough for our sky."

Ah, Tsuna thought belatedly, this was getting out of hand pretty quickly. Still, the phoenix did nothing to stop it. It was clear no one took to his letter and Reborn seemed to be enjoying himself as well, watching the chaos unfold with an unholy light in his eyes.

"Good enough?!" the man scoffed, "If anything, I'm too good for her." he turned to Tsuna, seemingly unaware of her elements darkening expressions, "Who do you think you are, denying me? I am the leader of the eastern dragon clan! I've heard all about you, the phoenix who plays with humans!" he spat, disgusted.

Tsuna raised an eyebrow, completely unimpressed with the childish temper tantrum he was having in front of her while Reborn smirked, "And what does that said about you? After all, my bambina won't even glance at you, never mind _play_." Tsuna blushed but tried to ignore the connotations Reborn had practically poured all over the word 'play'. The smug human smirked at her anyway, looking pleased beyond words. This really wasn't the time, she thought, as Lui Qiang got angrier and angrier.

He did actually turned purple this time, Tsuna didn't even know it was possible to do that, "Yours?! Don't tell me you picked a _human_ as your mate?"

Tsuna narrowed her eyes a flicker of anger and warning sparking in her flame, "And if I did?"

"You're a phoenix, you shouldn't lower yourself to their standards!"

"Lower?" questioned Reborn, a sneer on his face, "It's you who is overstepping your position."

"And you aren't?" he demanded, infuriated, "You're not even a normal human, as disgustingly weak as they are, but a cursed one as well?"

"Watch yourself, Qiang." warned Fon, before Tsunahime or Reborn could step in, "Reborn has earned my respect, even though he is a human." Not that Fon thought that was a disadvantage, humans tended to progress and gain strength quicker than their kind because everything moved quicker for them, their lives so much shorter than that of any supernatural. Every species had strengths and weaknesses, it just so happened that a human's lifespan could tick both boxes depending on how you looked at it. Qiang, however, felt that because humans were born weaker and had a shorter life than a supernatural, it meant they were weaker.

Fon mentally scoffed, one only needed to look at Reborn to know that wasn't true (plus Fon sparred against Reborn somewhat regularly now and while he couldn't transform, that didn't mean he couldn't enhance his abilities to a certain degree. It was always a coin toss on who would win, which was why they liked fighting against each other, and even then they drew most of the time), to be that strong despite his shorter lifespan, he had Fon's respect. So did the rest of the Arcobaleno on some level due to the same reason. Sure, it was their flames that was what made them the Arcobaleno but they also needed to be strong to survive the mafia with that sort of reputation. Even Skull, who a lot of people underestimated, had to do the same thing to survive.

Fon wasn't only in the Hibari clan because he was strong but also because he _respected_ strength, even if he never said it out loud very often. It was one of the reasons why he refused to kill anyone in a sneak attack despite the fact that he could do so. Fon believed that he should at least give people a chance to fight back. Most of the time that didn't happen because he was too fast to react against but the point still stood. Reborn, however, was different now. They shared the same sky now and Fon had seen a lot more of what made Reborn, Reborn during that time. It was clearer to see when the sun was with Tsuna, which he often was, but Reborn, despite his sadist ways, had honor and his own soft spots, even if he showed them in unusual ways. Granted, he didn't showcase them often, but the fact he did when he was in not only Tsuna's presence but the rest of the family's, including Fon, meant that he didn't mind stating his respect aloud. Even if the man might be annoying about it later. That just meant he'd have to think of a way to get back at him, "I will not let you walk over that and nor will he."

"And what will you do, Feng? You can't even turn into your half-dragon form, never mind your full one." his sneer turned into a pleased smirk, "You are _weak_. You are nothing to me."

Fon's flames raged with fury, he opened his mouth about to retort something back but his nephew spoke first, "Herbivore, battle me." he snarled, tonfa out, not held in a stance yet but there all the same. Tsuna blinked in shock, everyone else doing the same.

Qiang jolted himself out of it quickly though, "Do you even know what you are saying, wolf?"

Kyoya smirked, looking as pleased as can be, "I, Hibari Kyoya, challenge you, Lui Qiang, on behalf of my clan and pack member whom you wrongfully insulted and banished." he said formally though slowly like speaking to a mere child (all Tsuna could think as, he can speak normally and in such a large sentence, what is happening to the world?! Then again, this had something to do with a fight, so of course he'd be able to do this even if he was incapable to speaking normally at any other time). Fon looked at Kyoya shocked before a smile crept upon his face.

Tsunahime sighed, knowing she couldn't stop this.

Maybe she should have tried to calm things down sooner, after all...

* * *

Tsuna looked around curiously. After the declared challenge from Kyoya, which Qiang accepted (not that he could deny it anyway, supernatural rules and all that), they were led down to a basement. It was only lit by fire but it did its job and she could see the area well enough. Lui Qiang and Kyoya were in the middle of the large area, facing each other, that had been marked out as the arena for the fight. The walls and ceiling were metal, probably reinforced, so they could withstand the fight that was about to take place. The ground, though, was made of hard dirt. There were also a couple of other people from the clan as witnesses for the official fight.

Reborn frowned slightly on her shoulder, confusion in his flames, and so Tsuna started explaining, "Do you remember when I said that respect was an important thing for the supernatural?" he nodded, so Tsunahime continued, "Well, this is what happens if someone thinks you're being disrespectful on purpose and cares enough to issue a challenge. The one who is issued this challenge cannot refuse and if they were to run away, they'd become a laughing stock. For someone of Lui Qiang's personality and position, that is unacceptable."

"What are the rules to the fight?"

"They won't be fighting to the death." answered Fon, "Lui Qiang is a leader of a clan and Kyoya isn't challenging his position in any way that it wouldn't matter. You cannot attack anyone but your opponent and if the other surrenders, you have to honor that and stop. You can't tie though, they have to fight until one wins, gives up, or the referee decides that the victor is obvious, which only happens if one of the fighters is near death but being too stubborn to admit it."

"Kufufufu, you should be excited, Reborn. Fights like this are often entertaining," Mukuro added, leaning on the trident he summoned, "And bloody."

One of the clan members nodded in Tsuna's direction and she sighed quietly, "Reborn, Fon, can you wait here for a moment?" they nodded, Reborn with some confusion, and jumped from her shoulders. Fon, however, pulled out a camera, intending to record the fight. With that done, Tsuna made her way to the middle of the arena. As someone who was responsible for Fon and Kyoya in a way and a point of interest for Qiang it had been decided that she would referee the fight. The clan members could have been ordered to cheat and while she was Kyoya's sky, Tsuna wasn't apart of the Hibari clan so she was the only one who was somewhat neutral. Plus, with the Qiang's members surrounding her, she couldn't get away with bending the rules. Not that she would in the first place.

Once in the middle, Tsunahime started, "Lui Qiang, what are your terms if you were to win the challenge?"

" _When_ I win the challenge," Kyoya growled, baring teeth, as Qiang smirked, pure arrogance marking his features, "I want the Hibari clan to formally apologise for their insulting behaviour as well as Feng to formally admit just how much of a disgrace he truly is." It took a lot from Tsuna, to make sure she didn't react to that, but somehow managed it, outside of the twitching of a hand. She felt Fon's flames going dangerously still before moving once more. It reminded her of a prowling cheetah on the hunt. The only reason Qiang was able to request such a thing from Fon was because Kyoya started the challenge on behalf of the storm, "Maybe then, when I win," he repeated once more, looking at her, "You'll see how much of a mistake you're making by not becoming mine."

She could practically see her elements bristle at that comment, glares aimed at him. Reborn's flame, in particular, was curling around her, possessiveness in every moment. He was lucky that most supernaturals (and skies in general) were equally possessive otherwise she might have felt uncomfortable with the sheer amount that radiated from his flames. Tsuna let the silence hang in the room, bordering on awkwardness before nodding slowly, letting her disbelief of that comment be received without words.

Tsunahime turned her head to her wolf, "Hibari Kyoya, what are your terms if you were to win the challenge?"

Kyoya smirked, "The herbivore will go down on his _knees_ and bow, _begging_ for forgiveness to both you and the annoying carnivore both for his attempt at claiming and the annoying carnivore's banishment." Tsuna raised an eyebrow, impressed. Yes, that was an appropriate punishment for his treatment of Fon. Kyoya could bring her into the terms because she was his sky. While killing was off the table due to the dragon's important position, the embarrassment he'd get from this battle (because she sincerely doubted her wolf would lose. Yes, it was a possibility, as it was with any fight, but he was fighting for his Alpha and Kyoya's pride would force him to win, regardless of his condition) would ruin him. Fon would probably send off his recording to the appropriate people, after making sure it couldn't be found by any unknowing people. Anyone important would know about it before the end of the day was out, "He will never attempt to do something like this again or I have full authority to bite him to death."

Tsuna nodded, "As the referee for this challenge, I accept both terms and will make sure they are upheld." At this, knowing the battle would soon begin, Kyoya and Qiang brought out their weapons. A clan member brought in a pair of butterfly swords and handed them to his leader with a short bow. Kyoya's tonfa was somehow concealed in his clothing and so was easily retrieved. Both got into their stances, glaring hard at one another, "Begin!" Tsuna announced, jumping out of the way.

* * *

 **And done!**

 **I've been told be a reviewer that the 'Lui' in 'Lui Qiang' name isn't actually a last name, as I thought it was originally, but more of something you merely say before saying a name, so I'm sorry any native speakers or just Chinese speakers in general that had to go through that. I'm not Chinese and I can't speak the language so that name was something I got off the internet, which really was my first mistake, I know. Regardless, I'm going to keep the name for now, mostly because he is more of a side character and he's only really here for the small side arc so he shouldn't affect the story too much. And, well, I've committed now...**

 **So, yeah...**

 **Again, sorry for that.**

 **On that note, I want to say that I've never been to China either or know much about their culture, unfortunately, so please don't be offended if I've put something in here that doesn't sat well with you, though I don't think I've put anything like that in here. Anyway, thanks for bringing it to my attention!**


	41. Chapter 41

Chapter Forty One

 _Tsuna nodded, "As the referee for this challenge, I accept both terms and will make sure they are upheld." At this, knowing the battle would soon begin, Kyoya and Qiang brought out their weapons. A clan member brought in a pair of butterfly swords and handed them to his leader with a short bow. Kyoya's tonfa was somehow concealed in his clothing and so was easily retrieved. Both got into their stances, glaring hard at one another, "Begin!" Tsuna announced, jumping out of the way._

* * *

Tsuna landed smoothly near her other elements as Kyoya and Qiang launched themselves at each other.

"Does this mean I won't be able to show my own… displeasure?" asked Reborn after a few moments passed, watching the two opponents fight. Both were only getting a feel for the other at the moment and so were holding back quite a bit, there wasn't much to anticipate yet.

Tsuna blinked but only raised an eyebrow, unable to take her eyes off the fight as the referee, "Your displeasure?" she repeated, amused.

Reborn only nodded, "Of course. He not only tried to claim you but insulted you as well. While I'm sure Hibari will be able to beat the _idiota_ black and blue, I don't like only watching."

"Kufufufu, I agree with Reborn. It's much more satisfying doing the act yourself."

"Indeed, the fact that Kyoya would defend me is very touching but I was quite looking forward to… Ah, _defending my sky_." smiled Fon. Despite herself, a small laugh bubbled up from her throat, knowing full well that defending her wasn't the true reason for Fon's need to show why Lui Qiang why he was feared… in a very violent way, but didn't disagree. After all, it may not be the true reason but she did know all her elements were quite irritated with the proposed Mate bond and marriage.

Knowing this, she carefully responded, "I cannot condone any action taken against Lord Qiang," she pretended not to notice the slumped shoulders and flames radiating their disappointment as she continued in the same level tone, "Saying that, I also cannot be expected keep track of all of you at all hours." Tsuna also pretended not to notice the immediate brightening of her elements expressions. Honestly, all three of them were supposed to be good at masking their facial expressions…

* * *

Kyoya growled at the self-important herbivorous dragon. How the annoying carnivore (who was also his uncle) managed to stay in the same clan as someone so aggravating, was a mystery in Kyoya's opinion. Not that it matter in the long run.

Kyoya wasn't going to suffer the fool any longer than necessary.

In response to his growl the dragon had the nerve to smirk at him, it was full of condescension and it didn't fail to rile the already irritated wolf even further up. With a echoing snarl, Kyoya launched himself at his prey, tonfa lashing out, only to be blocked by one of Qiang's short curved swords. Another tonfa strike followed the first but Qiang ducked and flipped back, his hair brushing the foot that Kyoya sent at him as he went.

The dragon landed cleanly, barely a hair out of place, smug smirk still in place, "Is this the supposive might of the Hibari clan?" he mocked, "You are barely a pup out of his mother's womb and you think you can beat me?"

"Beat you?" Kyoya mimicked, canines lengthening, nails shaping into sharp claws as a pair of pitch black wolf ears grew from the top of his head, a matching tail swishing violently behind him, power coursing through his veins, "I am not fighting you, I am _hunting_ you, prey." Coiled muscles released as the wolf launched himself once more, though faster than before, actually disappearing from sight only to reappear behind dragon and too fast for him to counter or even move, Kyoya stuck. A tonfa buried deep into the dragon's side, Qiang's mouth opened in a silent shout of pain as he spat out blood, before the strength of the attack catapulted him to the side, slamming him into the wall.

Kyoya didn't even blink as he followed after the man, knowing that attack didn't have enough strength to down the Chinese man. Another two strikes and Qiang was, once again, thrown to the other side of the room, dirt and dust from the ground covering the man's, no doubt, painful landing. The wolf admitted to himself that watching the prey getting thrown around the room was entertaining but he refused to win this battle because the dragon was too prideful and arrogant at the start of the match to take his opponent seriously. Kyoya wanted everyone to see how pitiful the man truly was, he wanted no one to doubt his victory. And that meant letting the prey have enough time to transform. He released his chains for his tonfa as he snarled, "Stand up, prey, I haven't finished hunting you yet."

A chuckle, it started out quiet before slowly growing in volume, the dust falling back down to the ground showing that Qiang had indeed stood back up. His hair wasn't in a bun anymore, the black hair reaching just below his shoulders, his robes were no longer immaculate, dirt and hints of blood staining the cloth. Kyoya was nowhere near satisfied by the small amount of red on the material, the prey deserved to bleed a whole lot more than he had already currently done, "Perhaps there was more bite to your bark, pup, than I thought but make no mistake… A dragon is never prey, only the predator." Horns grew from the back on his head, gold in colour as his skin gained a faint red scale-like pattern and texture, claws growing from his nails much like Kyoya's had done along with his teeth.

Seeing that his prey had finally finished grandstanding, Kyoya spun one of his chains, sending it hurling towards the male, who dodged by side stepping and ran towards the wolf, sword flashing as it left a gash on Kyoya's cheek when he tilted his head too late his fully dodge the attack that would have gouged out his eye if he haven't move at all. The wolf paid no attention to the wound, knowing it would soon heal, tugging at his tonfa to call back his chain as the another one lash out at the man, clipping the dragon's arm. Kyoya noted the fact that his attack didn't leave as much damage as it should have as he carried on attacking, without pausing. Those scales weren't for show then.

Their fight continued in the same fashion for a couple more minutes, some attacks were dodged but most were too fast to do so completely and so each left marks on the other. They were, however, mostly superficial. Their healing rates meant that most wounds were healed within time and those that were more serious were numbed enough so they could ignore them without much trouble.

They both seemed pretty evenly matched, Qiang having much more experience over Kyoya, but him having more strength and brutality over the dragon. That was until, Kyoya saw his chance, an opening in the dragon's guard. The man was obviously more used to desk work and the like, using his status to get what he wanted instead of keeping up of his training (which the dragon saw little purpose in doing since Fon had been banished and so he didn't need to compete against him). Kyoya lashed out with a tonfa that scrapped past the man's forehead when he dodged, his other hand directing his chain to wrap around the dragon, restraining him. The metal was reinforced with both his purple cloud flame and his demonic energy, resulting in Lui Qiang's capture, the man uselessly struggling, forcing him into a kneeled position.

As prey should, thought Kyoya.

With a vicious smirk, he tightened his chain, earning a pained groan, the man feeling his bones grind together under the pressure. The wolf demon put away one tonfa as he walked towards the dragon. With his, now free, hand, Kyoya grabbed a fist full of hair and yanked the man's head back, baring a tender throat, "Yield." he demanded, his voice hard and loud enough to echo over the silent room. He was aware of the prey's clan members eyes though through out the battle none seemed to make their opinion on the battle known. Then again, Kyoya didn't really care too much about such things.

Lui Qiang's face bore no smirk or any other smug expression now. It was marred with both blood and bruises, though they were quickly fading, much to the wolf's displeasure. The man's neck strained with effort as he tried to resist Kyoya's hand, he wasn't having much luck but Kyoya tugged harsly and he stilled, "Yield." the cloud repeated. It was such a hassle, getting stubborn opponents to surrender when he couldn't threaten them with death. The dragon bared his teeth, face turning red (Kyoya was mildly amused by the expression, as he seemed so proper before. The man seemed the type that would never make such an expression). The male opened his mouth and-

Kyoya snarled, throwing himself away, landing in a roll, from the dragon as he spat out fire, the heat intense enough to be felt from his position despite the distance he had put between them. Kyoya also noticed that in his haste he had unwittingly loosened the chain holding the other man down, the chain falling uselessly to the ground. He hastily retrieved his weapon, locking it back into its compartment, and storing the tonfa away with it's partner. The wolf's attention was solely on the man, who was standing up once more, eyes full of hatred as his body shifted under everyone's eyes.

Flesh giving way for red, hard, rough scales. Hair turning wilder, longer and more mane-like as his entire body lengthened, hands resembling something more talon-like as the dragon's claws grew. Where his mouth was, there was now a maw stretching into place, one long whisker on each side on the dragon's nostrils. Purple eyes glaring at the wolf. Two mere seconds had passed but where once a man stood, now a dragon floated, it's serpentine body large and proud as it let out a ear-shattering roar, full of fury.

In response, Kyoya, too, shifted, knowing he needed to for this fight. His shift only took a second and soon a large black wolf, the size of a large truck, stood on all fours, baring white teeth menacingly with a low, deep growl in an answering challenge.

The dragon rushed at him, mouth wide and open, showing off razor sharp teeth as he dived towards the wolf that lunged out of the way in the nick of time, feeling hot breath graze his fur. Rage fueled the dragon's movements now and it wasn't a patient feeling because Qiang barely flinched as he turned sharply, his long body scraping against the ground, chasing after the wolf.

He was like a bull that had seen red and he didn't look like he'd calm down any time soon.

That was fine with Kyoya. The prey obviously didn't know how to control his anger and that would just make it easier for him in the end. The wolf crouched low, belly brushing the ground as his muscled coiled in anticipation, eyes sharp and ears pivoted in the dragon's direction. The background noise fell away, all Kyoya could hear was his own controlled breathing and his prey's enraged panting as the dragon flew through the air.

Kyoya waited.

He waited until the wolf could feel the dragon so close to him that his fur flattened with the hot puff of air Qiang released and his instincts were screaming at him before he jumped. He launched himself above the dragon, who was close to the floor due to Kyoya previous position, and sunk his teeth through the hard crunch of scales and into the softer texture of muscles of the dragon's back. Kyoya clung to Qiang with his teeth and claws even as his prey release a roar of fury and pain that echoed painfully in Kyoya sensitive ears and flew as high as the room would let him, shaking madly all the while.

The wolf snarled, trying to bite as deep as possible to cause the most pain, ignoring the metallic taste of blood in his mouth. Qiang let out another roar as he tried to turn enough to breath fire but Kyoya as biting too close to the neck to allow for the movement and so the dragon, instead, slammed his back into the ceiling.

Kyoya let out a howl of pain, his grip slacking under the pain which proved to be a bad idea as the dragon's shaking hadn't abetted and with the loosened grip, the cloud soon found himself flying through the air and slamming painfully into a wall. The wolf let out a quiet whimper he couldn't restrain in this form as he forced himself to his paws and rolled out of the way of a searing breath of fire. His ribs were throbbing painfully and it felt that he had, at the very least, cracked them.

Still, the lingering taste of blood in his mouth managed to pull out vicious satisfaction from him. He knew he had managed to bite deep into his prey, mostly because the dragon was trying to keep a certain amount of distance from the wolf as he continued to spit out fire.

Unfortunately, his form was in no way equipped to flying and so reaching him that way was not an option. There was a reason why he didn't fight too often in his full-demon form and that was because it lessened his range of options with some types of opponents. Unlike some of his cousins, he didn't have claws of poison and he couldn't float or melt into shadows or anything fancy like that. No, his power (if you could call it that) was quite simple and Kyoya much preferred it that way. His power was merely his strength. Once he got close enough, he could deal a massive amount of damage, as shown when he easily bit through Qiang's scales as if they were only mildly annoying.

Kyoya ran around the battleground, dodging fire as he went and trying to ignore the slowing increasing pain of his ribs as he thought up a plan. He wasn't able to slow down, the fire coming so fast that he knew if he did, he wouldn't get away with only some singed fur to show for it.

He jumped out of the way of another breath of fire before Kyoya let out as much as a smirk as his wolfen body would allow before quickly changing direction, running at the wall furthest from him, picking up as much speed as possible. His claws dug into the metal of the wall as his powerful muscles allowed him to scamper up the wall, fire too late to catch him as he went. As he neared the top, Kyoya launched himself it the wall, twisting in midair to face the dragon with a snarl, teeth gleaming with saliva and a hungry look in his eyes.

Qiang didn't move, thinking himself safely out of range from the desperate attack.

He really should have known better.

Channelling soul-fire through his entire body, Kyoya _grew_ and increased his range as his fur burned with purple flames. Paralysed with shock, Qiang didn't, couldn't, move as Kyoya's muzzle clamped down up through scale and bone alike, claws digging painfully into his chest. The massive wolf's body weight forcefully dragged the dragon out of the air and sent him plummeting to the ground below.

Kyoya tugged on the dragon's body as he roared, twisted both of them around so the dragon would take the brunt of the fall as a crater formed from the combined weight of the supernatural beings. Stunned from the fall, Qiang didn't notice when the wolf let go of his shoulder in favour of hovering his teeth around his exposed neck until it was too late. The position he was in made it impossible to gain a strong enough grip of escape, the wolf's forelegs pinning his own.

A brush of sharp teeth and a warning growl echoed around the completely silent room when Qiang went to uselessly struggle anyway. It was his instinct that overrode his mind that made him go still and limp, body language conveying his surrender.

Kyoya didn't back down until Tsunahime jumped into the battleground and announced, "Winner, Hibari Kyoya!" There was a long moment and a snarl before Kyoya let go of his flames and sunk back down into his original form (which wasn't very small to begin with) and jumped off the dragon, landing behind his sky, teeth dripping with flesh blood. The fur around his muzzle had gained a dark red-brown colour but the wolf paid it no mind as he dropped his head to lightly nose his sky's hair in greeting (this form wasn't ideal when needing to communicate, his throat only really designed to make simple sounds. It was the same for his pack's full demon forms and Alpha's full form as well. It was one of the reason why they didn't use them too often) before dropping, laying down and curled slightly in a protective manner around Tsuna, eyes sharp and watchful (which still managed to look intimidating considering even when laying down, the wolf was still taller than the phoenix, who was standing) as Qiang slowly started moving, his body shifting and shrinking.

Reborn, Fon and Mukuro made their way over as Qiang groaned, struggling to sit up due to his injuries (Kyoya's catchphrase of 'bite to death' had taken a whole new meaning in Reborn's mind..), "Lui Qiang, according to the terms set out and agreed upon at the start of this match, you will need to fulfil Hibari Kyoya's request." Tsuna informed professionally, still playing her role as referee until this match had been officially completed. Which was a little annoying, considering that she wanted to properly congratulate Kyoya on winning.

Upon her reminder, her elements perked up, all of them turning to watch Qiang closely, Fon's camera still running. Qiang flinched, as if the mere thought of it caused him pain but nodded however reluctantly. No one had come to help treat the wounds he had gained and no one would until he had done his part.

He sat on his knees and bowed his head slightly, "I, Lui Qiang-" Kyoya's growl silenced the rest of the sentence making Qiang flinch violently. The injured male gritted his teeth but obeyed the unspoken request, or rather demand, and bowed so that his head touched the ground. He started, once again, "I, Lui Qiang, apologise for Feng's... banishment and my proposal to Tsunahime, asking for a Mate bond. I ask-" another growl, "...I _beg_ for forgiveness from both of you..." Tsunahime could hear the spite and irritation in his voice rising but didn't point it out. Really, he was making it worse for himself. If he accepted his loss gracefully he probably wouldn't be as penalised as he was going to be from the other clan heads once this event reach their ears.

Tsuna turned to her storm, who was watching with stern eyes, "Do you accept his apology, Feng?"

A moment passed where Fon seemed content with merely watching the bowing appearance for his former clan head before he nodded, a smile fixed on his face, "While I will never forget Qiang's transactions against me, I will admit that I hold no malice towards him as my nephew has done a splendid job of showing him where he went wrong." he paused, watching Qiang severely bleeding form, just allowing himself to watch the bleeding man's form a little longer than what was strictly necessary, before speaking again, "However, should Lui Qiang go near me or my family again for anything less than the best intentions, I will warn him that I will not be so _forgiving_ the next time."

"Is this agreeable, Lui Qiang?" The clan head nodded, head still touching the floor, hyper-aware of the penetrating gaze of her wolf, "If my storm wishes to forgive you then I have no trouble doing the same." the sky mused, "Though I also offer the same warning and remind you of Hibari Kyoya's warning he has made during the terms set out during the start of the duel." Lui Qiang nodded in reluctant acceptance, letting them know he had heard her and Tsuna sighed, "You may now rise your head. The terms have been fulfilled and so this marks the end of the duel."

* * *

Mukuro smirked as Fon, Kyoya and Reborn entered the living room of the hotel they were staying in. They'd be catching a plane tomorrow as it was too late to get one after the meeting/fight with the head of the eastern dragon clan and they all needed some rest. Though Mukuro would be a little late getting that rest, they still had some things to finish up before leaving the country.

Thinking of that, Mukuro looked towards sun Arcobaleno, "How is my darling?"

Reborn's eyebrow twitched, "Not yours and fine." he replied, his tone irritated as he glared. Mukuro only laughed at the response and nodded. The sun sighed, knowing a lost battle when he saw one, he'd just prank the fox to an inch of his life when they were back in friendly territory, "We should hurry up though. Even if bambina isn't too suspicious of us yet, we shouldn't push our luck."

Fon smiled, "Nothing too threatening, however, we don't want to land our sky in trouble." He graciously ignored the two almost pouts he got for the reminder.

"Kufufufu, don't ruin our fun."

Kyoya growled, annoyed that he was missing sleep over listening to the annoying fox and resolved to hurry this whole thing along, "Stop crowding and move."

* * *

Tsuna grumbled as she felt the bed shift, still half asleep, Reborn was finally back from whatever he was doing with the others. Her mild annoyance ended when her sun settled and allowed her to use him like a teddy bear (which she normally did when he was in this form), Leon crawling from the hitman's fedora on the nightstand to rest in her hair.

His flames were still excited though so Tsunahime asked, "Have fun?"

A low chuckle, "I have no idea what you are talking about, bambina."

"That doesn't sound anywhere near innocent…"

He let out another laugh as his flames wrapped around hers before settling down with a contented sigh, "Go back to sleep, bambina." Tsuna let out a small huff before realising that Reborn probably wasn't planning on enlightening her anytime soon and relented, relaxing, and did as instructed.

* * *

Lui Qiang gave a gasp as he woke, bolting up, his back straight, shivering in fright. He had just had the most bizarre nightmare of being torn apart, limb from limb, by beasts. They had been a dragon -not unlike himself, though with brown eyes with a red tint- a sliver dog, a black wolf and dark blue three tailed fox. Each biting into him (the wolf seemed even more vicious than the others, he remembered) as a beautiful fire-like phoenix watched on in silence with a small bull and owl. He didn't know why but he also remembered a gleaming sword, a green gun and a pair of boxing gloves, though he couldn't place where they were in the nightmare.

It was strange, as most dreams naturally were, but he could still remember the cold seeping into his bones, the hot white pain that felt so real…

Qiang sighed, rubbing a weary hand over his face, he didn't want to go back to bed. Not when he was covered in cold sweat. Still, despite wanting to go and shower, he also felt quite dehydrated. His throat felt like someone had taken sandpaper to it and it wasn't a good feeling.

On silent feet, he went out to get some water. He could ask a servant to get some but after his, frankly, humiliating defeat against that Hibari brat, he didn't feel like seeing anyone at the moment. He knew he'd be on damage control for a while, trying to salvage whatever reputation he had left as he had seen that disgrace video the whole fight. To think he had actually managed to bond with a _phoenix_ of all things. Madness. Said phoenix had, apparently, bonded to a human as her Mate! Poor thing was too young to see what a terrible mistake she was making. He was so much more than that cursed weakling!

Not that he was going to help her out of the pit she was digging. Oh no, he had tried that and the bitch denied him!

As he walked back from the kitchen, wincing from his wounds, Qiang noticed the door to the meeting room was slightly open. He scowled and wondered who he needed to chew out for wandering where they weren't permitted. However, all thoughts of such things vanished from his mind as he opened the door and gazed inside. On the wall, where he had ordered the painting of a phoenix and dragon to be, was only drying red paint covering it or, at least, he hoped it was paint. The red looked eerily like blood and the dragon shivered, thinking back to his dream. To the blood that was slowly pooled out of his cooling body...

He clenched his fist, breaking the door under the strain and stormed out to the servant quarters to sort this mess out. He rushed out and into the courtyard, about to yell, when he caught a glimpse of his reflection. Frowning, because he swore there was something wrong, he backtracked and stared into the water of the pond.

Face pale and hands shaking as he raised them to his face, watching the water mirror his actions. Except, he was right, something was wrong.

Very wrong.

Where his perfectly groomed face was supposed to be, his pale facial structure stared back at him with not a single hair on it. There was no hair or beard on his face! Not even any eyebrows! His skin was painted the same blood red the wall was painted.

Lui Qiang screamed before promptly fainting, retreating to a nightmare filled land, beasts feasting on his flesh, as his other clan members woke up to the noise and went to investigate.

Written across his forehead in pitch black letters (and in permanent marker) were the words: 'Don't try and take what isn't yours'.

* * *

 **And cut!**

 **What did you think any good? We finally had a fight involving two supernaturals going all out and in their full forms!**

 **Once again thank you for the comments and I hope to see you next time. The future arc is coming up!**


	42. Chapter 42

**Chapter Forty Two**

Tsunahime stretched, getting off the plane and rubbing her eyes. She had mostly slept through the plane journey because she hadn't been able to sleep until Reborn came back from wandering off last night (he still refused to stay what exactly he was doing and shared a smirk with the others when asked. Tsuna finally decided it was a lost cause and she probably wouldn't have wanted to know in the first place if Reborn was getting so much amusement out of it). Except now, because of the nap she had taken, her neck was aching. Someone really needed to do something about those aeroplane seats. They weren't, at all, comfortable.

Tsuna sighed, admitting defeat and channelled sun flames to her neck, feeling slightly embarrassed that she even needed to do so outside of a fight or training. And for sleeping on a aeroplane, of all things…

Tsuna shook her head, bidding goodbye to Fon, Kyoya and Mukuro at the crossroad, having to go in a different direction to get to her home. Mukuro had said that Chrome had already moved her things back (though she didn't touch Reborn's items, probably a good thing really, he got cagey about that sort of thing). She was looking forward to finally seeing her mother again without the foul soul flames Iemitsu processed hanging around like dark cloud over her head (no offence to any clouds intended, of course, though they'd likely take offence regardless because they're _clouds_ and she did just relate them to Iemitsu, of all people) as it had been just over two weeks since her had seen Nana. Tsuna didn't usually spend so long away but she supposed she'd have to get used to it, given her involvement in the mafia. Still, it wasn't like she was going to be leaving Nana unprotected, Namimori was _her_ town (even if she preferred the hands off approach when it came down to it, more than happy to let the Hibari clan have free rein. Well, as long as they stayed reasonable...) and everyone who was even the slightest bit important knew Nana was her mother. She was to be protected, and Tsunahime didn't think anyone would forget that just because she wasn't there. No, no one would risk that.

Thinking about the soon-to-be reunion with her dear mother, Tsuna hummed happily, her flames echoing her subconsciously, much to Reborn's delight, as she nearly skipped down the street. Reborn looked upon in endless amusement, his smirk mocking her. Tsuna paid it no mind, she had been forced to be civil to that humiliation of a clan head due to politics and expected behaviour so she believed herself due a break.

Her phone buzzed, it was on vibrate from the plane (she knew there was a mode she could put it on but that stopped calls getting through and she couldn't risk that if there was an emergency and someone was trying to get it touch with her), and she brought it up to her ear, "Tsunahime speaking." she announced.

"Tsunahime, you've been busy." stated Bat instead of a greeting.

"Bat." the phoenix acknowledged with a nod of the head, an action completely pointless as they were talking over the phone, "So you've heard already."

"That dragon of yours did not do much to hide it." which was true. Fon merely uploaded the video of the battle between Kyoya and Lui Qiang to the correct hidden sites that the supernatural use. It was only accessible by those of an higher status in their society (if only because they would actually think about announcing something like that. Or at least some of them would, the head of the Rabbit clan, for example, was very… eccentric and preferred to act like a five year old despite the fact that she was nearly close to a thousand years old. At least Tsuna knew she could count on the Minotaur clan head to keep a level head. He was usually able to keep them all in line... Most of the time anyway... Their was such a thing as an impossible task.)

"That's true, but I doubt you've called to tell me that."

"Correct. The cervello family you asked me to look up. I have found them." Tsuna grinned, it held a little bit of sharp edge so Tsunahime toned it down. That didn't stop Reborn from peering at her curiously but she just turned her smile at him, offering no explanation. Reborn narrowed his eyes at her. "I will send you the location over email."

"Ah, my thanks. I will have the usual amount sent to you." Truly, it was a shame she wouldn't be able to track down the cervello just yet. She had just come back from China and she doubted her elements would be happy to see her off again so soon. Plus, she didn't really want to let them know she was still holding a grudge and was planning on threatening the cervello to make sure they knew who they were dealing with. Tsunahime didn't think her elements would think bad of her (they were quite over protective themselves) but it was a job she'd like to get done quietly and while she loved her family they didn't really have a quiet setting.

"Bambina?" Ah, Reborn wasn't going to let this go was he? A shame she didn't have any intention of sharing.

"Just something Bat was following up for me."

"About?"

Tsuna didn't answer, just continued to hum happily as Reborn sighed long-suffering. He'd get it out of her eventually. Tsuna seemed to be quite the fan just 'forgetting' to mention information to watch people's reactions. He'd be more annoyed but that would probably be hypocritical of him.

* * *

Tsuna blinked, uncomprehendingly, at the throne-like chair before her. It was a golden orange colour that was on the edge of extravagant with a very comfortable looking silk cushion, "Mama? What is this?" And why was it here…?

Nana, her beautiful, obvious mother, beamed at her (not seeing anything wrong with the fact that she now had a _throne_ in her bedroom), "Oh, isn't it just lovely, Tsu-chan?" she gushed, happily.

"Um... Yes, of course it is." She was forever a prisoner to those hopefully shining happy eyes. They beat puppy-dog eyes any day, "...Why is it here?"

"Takeshi-kun came over yesterday with Chrome-chan, they said it was for you. You have the best of friends, Tsu-chan!" Nana clapped her hands excitedly, still missing the elephant in the room that was _a throne in her room_.

Tsunahime's shoulders slumped in defeat, resigning herself to try and scold her rain (along with everyone else for good measure) when she saw him tomorrow.

She ignored Reborn's delighted cackling as he examined the new piece of furniture, Leon sliding off his fedora and lying down on the cushion, flicking his tongue.

Well, at least he'd get some use out of it...

* * *

Two weeks had passed since her trip to China and so far there hasn't been any retaliation from Lui Qiang so Tsunahime hoped that the dragon was going to be keeping his head down and on damage control for awhile, that or he was merely biding his time.

Which ever it was, Tsunahime was happy that school was breaking up for the summer and she'd be able to have some free time. Well, mostly. Because she had missed a week of work due to the whole Varia affair, she had to play catch up and with Reborn there she was unlikely to forget that but he was her tutor and didn't mind helping her out. Most of the time.

Still, she put that out of her thoughts for the moment and sat down on the blanket, placing the basket that had sandwiches and other such snacks on it. Hayato and Ryohei putting up some chairs, somehow making a competition out of it.

With everything that had been going on, Tsuna decided some down time was very much needed (plus she wanted to make sure her elements were okay, mentally. Though most of her elements wasn't what people would call mentally stable in the first place. Eh, it was the thought that counted) and after some discussion, a picnic was decided upon. They were sat out in the park, though they were sitting closer to the trees for some shade as it was getting humid.

Kyoya had even come along, though he looked like he was napping in a tree, currently. Hibird was doing the same on his head and Tsuna was pretty sure she saw Fon take a picture or two at the scene. Fon thought his nephew was adorable.

Tsuna couldn't deny that. All her elements were adorable in their own way. Though they tended to be dangerously adorable.

(Sometimes, Tsuna likes to think about what Timoteo's face would be like once he realised just how _adorable_ her elements really were. She was pretty sure that old man had no idea just what he was doing getting her to be the next Don -or rather Donna. He should have just gone and fixed the rings (seriously, who even bothers with blood-locked rings now-a-days?) and gotten Xanxus to rule. At least then he knew what he was working with). Timoteo had to be a gambler to rely on complete unknowns -or civilians- to succeed his position over a man who he raised (abet poorly) and was elbow deep in the mafia since he was a kid.

Honestly, _humans_. Or perhaps it was just the mafia that lacked all common sense. Tsuna dearly hoped so. She worried for their continued survival as a species otherwise.

Fon and Reborn were sparring some distance away as Mukuro was flickering his flames in front of Chrome, no doubt teaching her something based on her fascinated expression. I-pin and Lambo were playing. Tsuna thought it might be tag but I-pin was throwing out martial art moves and Lambo was doing the same but with grenades. She's glad she managed to convince the cow-bull child to use the low grade ones,they were less damaging to the environment. Fuuta was smiling at them, wanting to join in but not quite willing to brave the heat for it. Takeshi was laughing, sword swinging in his grasp. Tsunahime as quite proud of Takeshi because how he could stand up do anything in this heat was pretty amazing. She didn't count the children, they had seemingly limitless energy. She was a phoenix so heat didn't really get to her but it was humid enough that even sitting down she could feel the sweat collecting on her back.

Fon and Reborn were in a league of their own. Reborn was Reborn and Fon was a dragon who hoarded his martial arts knowledge. He had probably trained in this sort of heat enough that he couldn't even tell the difference.

Tsuna was just setting out the sandwiches when she heard little Lambo scream something about showing Reborn up before a bang followed it. Tsunahime was about to ignore it (it happened quite often and Reborn dodged anyway) before her hyper intuition screamed.

She startled, sandwich falling from her grasp as she spun around, an order to move out of the way on the edge of her tongue, when Reborn, who was staying in place and seemed mildly alarmed that he couldn't move, and Fon, facing the same problem, were replaced by pink smoke.

No one else replaced their forms.

Suddenly, despite the fact that birds were singing and the trees were rustering in the faint breeze, all Tsunahime could hear was white noise. The scene of Reborn ( _her_ sun) and Fon ( _her_ storm) meeting her eyes for a split second before they were consumed by smoke replaying in her mind as if on repeat.

"Tsu-nee?" Lambo's voice filtered through her ears, sounding so _guilty_ because he could feel her desperation, the foreboding shadow that suddenly encased her as she stared at the spot where her dragon and Intended Mate where just standing.

Tsuna breathed in then out and repeated the motion, calming herself, pushing the feeling away, ignoring it because five minutes weren't over yet and maybe she was wrong. Yes, she was wrong. That empty space just meant that the bazooka malfunctioned. It did not mean that in ten years Reborn and Fon didn't exist (was dead-!) and everything would be _fine_ in five minutes.

So Tsuna smiled at Lambo reassuringly, "Don't worry. I'm sure everything is fine." she squeezed his hand, not really sure who she was comforting, and then continued to stare at the space once more. She was not, under any circumstances, going to look too deeply at her dragon's and hitman's flame bond. She wasn't going to let herself feel just how _distant_ it was because they'd be back soon.

Her elements exchanged worried glances behind her back but she paid that no mind.

Five minutes passed.

They _still_ weren't back yet.

Tsunahime breathed in and out, her flame searching and finding _nothing_.

Right. So, they weren't back yet. They weren't dead, her bond, while distant (as if in a faraway, unreachable place), was still strong and _alive_. They weren't dead. They weren't-

Rain flames caressed her own, soothingly. "Tsuna," Takeshi's voice pierced through her mind like a sharp knife, "Calm down." It was a command, but one she could follow, if only because it was Takeshi and his flames were encasing her own in a warm embrace.

"They are carnivores." intoned Kyoya, having already jumped down from his branch, "They won't die so easily."

Sometimes, Tsuna worried how they could all read her mind so easily. Sometimes it unnerved her, after all it was difficult pulling one over them because of it. Today, though, she had never been so glad for it.

"Right. Yes, of course." She said, running a hand through her hand and trying to find her mellow again even though her sky soul flame wanted to rage against her missing elements, "Lambo, that was the time-traveling bazooka, yes?" She was pretty sure it was but she rather have it confirmed. And have a distraction.

Lambo looked like he was about to cry, I-Pin wasn't doing much better, Fuuta was now standing beside them, worriedly staring at the place were the two Arcobaleno once were, "Yes, did Lambo-" he stopped, then started again, "Is it Lambo's fault that Fon and Reborn-baka are missing?" he asked timidly, lacking his usual boisterous tone.

The sky knelt, laying a hand on both children's heads, "No, of course not. I am not sure what happened exactly but we'll find out, okay?" Quick nods answered her. She caught Fuuta's eyes and tried to smile reassuringly. She wasn't sure how successful she was to be honest.

Tsuna smiled and stood, glancing at that spot again before quickly turning and avoiding it, feeling her sky soul-flames stir once again. First things first though, a trip to Bat would be needed to find out what the hell was up with that time-travelling bazooka.

* * *

 **I'M ALIVE!**

 **So, yeah... I haven't abandoned this story, don't worry guys, I am going to finish this. It's just when I sat down to actually write the next arc, I ended up just staring hopelessly at my computer. Still, like I said the strong is going to get finished, but the updates may not be as consistent as I'd like. Sorry, guys. I haven't really got a good reason apart from a serious case of writers block...**

 **I wanna say a quick thanks to all those that are still around and haven't died of old age! Seriously, you guys are the best! And any new guys around... It wasn't always like this...**

 **Anyway, hope you enjoyed the chapter!**


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